In the case of Mr R D v Computacenter (UK) Limited a self-proclaimed ‘psychic’ lost his IT job after telling a new female colleague that he had foreseen their meeting in his dreams, a tribunal heard.

Mr D allegedly left Ms VD feeling “very uncomfortable” when he claimed to have dreamt about her a year before they met. He later told the “alarmed” woman that she was “haunting” him and described being “trapped by the essence of her smell.” In one “prophetic dream,” he claimed she threw herself at him.

Mr D, a senior computer analyst, was dismissed from his role at tech services provider Computacenter for harassing his younger colleague. He later attempted to sue for discrimination and unfair dismissal, but an employment tribunal in Croydon, South London, ruled that his so-called “psychic ability” did not qualify as a “protected religious or philosophical belief” under UK employment law.

During the tribunal, Mr D shared examples of his supposed foresight, including one dream where he warned a woman not to jump over a canal—advice she ignored before breaking her leg.

In October 2021, he dreamt of a woman named Vanessa and even discussed her with his late sister.

Nearly a year later, in August 2022, Ms VD joined Computacenter. Just over a week after her arrival, Mr D dreamt of his new colleague, who allegedly told him, “I’m the one you have been dreaming about,” and urged him to invite her to dinner. Convinced she was the woman from his premonitions, Mr D messaged Ms VD, saying, “I found out we’re going to cross paths and forgot about it… Now you’re haunting me in my dreams, telling me, ‘…why are you just staring at your screen and not talking to me?’”

Weeks later, he reignited the conversation, telling her he had written six pages documenting how it all began the previous year and stating, “No one is as pretty as you.”

Mr D denied making any romantic advances and claimed he was “not sexually attracted” to Ms VD. However, she expressed her discomfort to a colleague and described feeling “alarmed,” “very shocked,” and “jumpy when receiving phone calls from unknown numbers.” The tribunal also heard she “panicked” at the thought of working with him.

Computacenter bosses found Mr D’s behaviour “seemed sexual and obsessive” and were concerned he believed he and Ms VD were destined to be together. After 14 years with the company, Mr D was dismissed in December 2022.

Employment Judge Fiona McLaren rejected his claims of unfair dismissal, race discrimination, religious or belief discrimination, and harassment. She ruled that he was “not a credible witness” and that his termination was justified due to the “objectionable” way he had communicated with Ms VD.

She concluded that Mr D’s emails were unnecessary, unrelated to his alleged belief system, and that, in any case, his belief did not qualify for legal protection under UK employment law.