A woman was the victim of racial harassment at the Newport police station where she worked, an employment tribunal decided today.

Noella Huggins, a black employee of Gwent Police, working at Newport central station, today won her case against her employers and a supervisor whom she had accused of racial harassment.

Tribunal chairman John Thomas ruled in favour of the applicant, Miss Huggins, and found she had suffered unlawful discrimination contrary to the 1964 Racial Discrimination Act.

She won her case against both Gwent Police and her supervisor, Ken Leverson.

Mr Thomas said Miss Huggins was "shy, reserved, quiet and honest", and the tribunal believed her evidence.

The tribunal heard that Miss Huggins was subjected to harassment which the chairman described as "unwanted, unreciprocated, and offensive, and the best guide to this is how the recipient felt about the behaviour". Mr Thomas launched a scathing attack on some of the employees who gave evidence, accusing them of "a blanket approach".

The tribunal had heard that Mr Leverson had contacted witnesses before the tribunal.

Mr Thomas said: "There are a number of individuals who have not opened their hearts to this tribunal. The bullet must be bitten and if there was an opportunity for the second respondent (Mr Leverson) and his witnesses to get their heads together, whether they did or not, they had the opportunity."

The tribunal ruled in favour of Miss Huggins' evidence, citing a diary that she kept.

Mr Thomas said the tribunal accepted that Ken Leverson had referred to Miss Huggins with the word "piccaninny.

Mr Thomas added: "This is the kind of behaviour that he indulged in. Not only because of his view of the applicant, Miss Huggins, being the only black person in the office, but because this is what his view of what robust camaraderie would be."

Mr Thomas added that the tribunal believed Miss Huggins' evidence of Mr Leverson singing in a Jamaican accent.

Earlier, the tribunal had heard that Mr Leverson said he believed Miss Huggins was a jolly "Floella Benjamin" type, and he had been accused of calling her a "nigger".

Gwent Police Force solicitor Alan Williams said: "This has been a difficult time for many of our staff and we are grateful for their professionalism. "We are satisfied that all complaints were thoroughly investigated and inquiries were carried out resulting in no further action in both the criminal investigation and the disciplinary inquiry.

"It is now time for those involved to consider the result with their independent advisers so that we can discuss and agree a way forward."