LOYALIST activist Jamie Bryson has criticised the Southern health trust for sacking a nursing assistant who shared a video mocking the death of Michaela McAreavey.
Rhonda Shiels was fired from her position last year for sharing the clip filmed at Dundonald Orange Hall, showing a number of men chanting offensive lyrics.
On Monday an industrial tribunal upheld the Southern trust’s decision and noted the trust had been “struck by the lack of remorse” she had shown at a disciplinary hearing.
However Mr Bryson, who represented the care assistant, questioned the trust’s decision “at a time when we are crying out for experienced and caring healthcare workers".
“We will take time to consider this ruling and the potential grounds of appeal.”
Ms McAreavey, who was married to Down footballer John McAreavey, was killed in 2011 after she discovered a burglary in her hotel room while on honeymoon in Mauritius.
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The four-minute video had originally been livestreamed on Facebook last May by Ms Shiels’ partner Andrew McDade, a delivery driver who recently lost his own tribunal case.
She had claimed she had only seen the start of the video when she shared it, with the offensive section not starting until the end of the clip.
As Ms Shiels had deleted the original video from her Facebook and did not appear to show remorse at her disciplinary hearing, the tribunal said the Southern Trust’s decision was “reasonable”.
“This had been an act of recklessness and a clear breach of the social media policy,” the tribunal panel said.
