Paul Dudgeon awarded €5,000 over unfair dismissal

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Paul Dudgeon was awarded €5,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission after it upheld his unfair dismissal complaint concerning his assault conviction. The proceedings were reported on 29 November 2023.

He had been convicted of theft and assault offences in the District Court on 16 December 2020. On appeal in the Circuit Court, the theft conviction was quashed and the assault matter was dealt with under the Probation Act; he said he had to abstain from alcohol for six months and have no further contact with his former partner.

During the WRC case, An Post’s barrister put it to him that he had pleaded guilty to assault in the Circuit Court, but Dudgeon said he did not remember this. He admitted pushing his former partner while both were drunk, said he regretted it, and argued that the outcome was not enough to justify dismissal.