A Metropolitan police sergeant, Sonny Kalar, who served for 30 years, has failed in his lawsuit against the police force for unfair treatment and harassment. The primary cause for his suit was that a senior officer, Ch Insp Marlise Davies, had called him a “numpty” twice, which he found to be discriminatory.
The employment tribunal in London ruled against Kalar’s claims, stating that Davies used the term in a playful manner and it did not constitute as harassment. The judge, Richard Nicolle, accepted Davies’ evidence that the comment was made in a lighthearted way during a conversation with Kalar on July 15th, 2022, and did not possess implications of race or disability.
Kalar had made various allegations against senior officers, including race and disability discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and whistleblowing violations. All of these claims were dismissed.
Furthermore, research by King’s College London discovered that the term “numpty” originated in the 18th century and was initially used as a mocking term of endearment for a cuckolded husband in a 1733 play.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/mar/13/retired-met-police-sergeant-fails-to-sue-senior-officer-calling-him-numpty
