The crime correspondent who replaced Ms Veronica Guerin on the Sunday Independent had to be admitted to hospital for treatment of acute anxiety which it is claimed was brought on by bullying and intimidation at the newspaper.
Ms Liz Allen was admitted in an emergency with chest pain to St Columcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown, Dublin, in November 2000, shortly after resigning from the newspaper.
She claims her treatment at the paper caused her severe stress and she had to resign because of the impact this had on her health. Ms Allen is claiming constructive dismissal by the newspaper. The Sunday In- dependent denies her allegations of harassment, bullying and intimidation.
Her GP, Dr Frank Malone, told an Employment Appeals Tribunal in Dublin yesterday the cause of the chest pain when she was admitted to hospital was acute anxiety. He said Ms Allen had been attending him since the previous September and he had prescribed her sleeping pills and anti-depressants. There did not seem to be anything in her history which accounted for her state other than her working conditions, he said.
The tribunal was told by Mr Mark Connaughton, counsel for Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Ltd, that Ms Allen was examined on behalf of the newspaper by Prof Patricia Casey, a consultant psychiatrist, and she would give evidence the journalist did not suffer from depression.
However, Dr Justin Brophy, a consultant psychiatrist at St Columcille's Hospital, said he believed Ms Allen was suffering from depression. Ms Allen was referred to him by her GP.
Dr Brophy, who saw Ms Allen last month, said she was in a highly distressed state and was in tears for most of their 1 1/2hour consultation.
He believed the onset of her depressive illness occurred after she left the Sunday Independent but it could not be separated from what went before her departure from the newspaper.
Earlier, Ms Allen said she was having medical treatment "pretty much on a constant basis" since resigning.
She made specific allegations against news editor Mr Willie Kealy and assistant news editor Mr Jody Corcoran. "They behaved like thugs on occasion towards me," she said.
She claimed Mr Corcoran threw a cigarette at her feet on one occasion and on another he made a derogatory remark about her on the newspaper's internal messaging system. "Nobody was treated with the same disregard and contempt that I was treated," she said.
Counsel for Independent Newspapers put it to her that these incidents did not happen. She disagreed.
Ms Allen said one of her grievances was being asked to be in the office for meetings every day at 10 a.m. She had been assured when hired by Mr Aengus Fanning she would have the flexibility needed to do her job. Mr Connaughton said Mr Kealy asked for this because he found it difficult at times to contact her and wanted to put some structure on the working week.
Ms Allen replied that as far as she was concerned Mr Kealy was "doing it to antagonise me" and it constituted bullying. She wasn't always immediately contactable but would return calls. She even took a call on her honeymoon.
Counsel asked how she could describe Mr Kealy as behaving like a thug when he offered her taxis to get around after she was arrested for drink-driving. Ms Allen said she went immediately to Mr Kealy and offered her resignation after she was caught. Mr Kealy asked her not to resign and she hired a driver after her conviction so her work would not be affected.
She said Mr Kealy objected to her doing a story on prostitution which had been approved by Mr Fanning. She was going to pose as a prostitute and Mr Fanning would call the massage parlour looking for a client of her description.
Counsel said Mr Kealy would say this was because there was a rule put in place after the murder of Ms Guerin that women journalists would not be put in jeopardy. Ms Allen replied that Mr Kealy let her go to gangland trials on her own to give evidence.
The hearing continues today.