Trans row nurse Sandi Peggie 'wanted to post bacon through mosque letterbox'
Gender row nurse Sandie Peggie allegedly told colleagues that she 'wanted to post bacon through the letterbox of a mosque', a tribunal has heard.
On Christmas Eve 2023, nurse Sandie Peggie was suspended from Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Fife, after she complained about having to share a changing room with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton.
She was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about 'patient care'.
Ms Peggie has lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment; harassment related to a protected belief; indirect discrimination; and victimisation.
On Monday, emergency nurse practitioner Fiona Wishart, who has worked for NHS Fife for 41 years, told the tribunal she heard Ms Peggie making 'derogatory' remarks about Dr Upton at a lunch on September 4 2023, and making 'offensive' comments about a mosque being built in the town, the tribunal heard.
Ms Wishart said: 'I was at a lunch with fellow colleagues. Sandie had made remarks about Beth at the lunch, derogatory remarks.'
She said she had forgotten details but was told the comments were 'weirdo', 'freak' and 'it', although she also said those terms were not used at the lunch, the tribunal heard.
Ms Wishart said: 'I've heard her make derogatory remarks regarding people of other ethnic origins and people of other sexual orientations… referring to people as 'immigrants who need to go back to their own country', and 'come over here to steal our jobs'.
'These are opinions that don't align with mine.'
Ms Wishart said that at the same lunch, Ms Peggie had commented on a new mosque being built in Fife, and 'made reference to the fact she had a good mind to post bacon through their letterbox', the tribunal heard.
Ms Wishart added: 'I specifically remember it because I found it offensive.'
Counsel for both respondents, Jane Russell KC, said: 'When she said that, how did others respond?'
Ms Wishart said: 'I can't remember, but she made derogatory remarks about Beth, and my colleague that was at the lunch, Lindsey Nicoll, responded, but I can't remember what she said.'
Ms Russell asked: 'Did it go beyond 'weirdo', 'freak', and 'it'?'
The witness said: 'No, I don't think so.'
The tribunal also heard on Monday that Ms Peggie's legal team were contacted at the weekend by a witness who shared her objections over sharing a changing room with Dr Upton and 'found the courage to come forward'. The team had also been contacted by another potential witness.
Ms Peggie's barrister, Naomi Cunningham, described the case as 'extraordinary', and 'the first case in which the practical working out of the implications of For Women Scotland judgment will have to be addressed in relation to single-sex spaces'.
She said that the way Ms Peggie had been treated by NHS Fife had 'frightened off' other potential witnesses who shared her views, and that the nurse 'has been the only one to find the courage to speak up' until a new witness came forward.
Ms Cunningham said: 'The truth is, we have known of many others. Ms Peggie's evidence is … lots of people agree. The difficulty is persuading anyone to come forward and tell the tribunal. That difficulty is because of the price of speaking up on these issues in NHS Fife.'
She added: 'To this point she has been the single individual; there have been many, but she has been the only one to find the courage to speak up.'
The tribunal continues.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
How attacks on Sandie Peggie's family are taking their toll
The public gallery has become populated by a familiar roll-call of faces. Every day at the Sandie Peggie tribunal, the seating area of the small room in the Dundee tribunal hearing centre is full of committed attendees. Those who are not early or quick enough are relegated to an overflow room to watch proceedings on the small screen. One face has become more recognisable than most — certainly more than she ever expected to be. Nicole Peggie, Sandie's daughter, has been forced by circumstance to defend her mother in an employment tribunal that the nurse brought against her employer NHS Fife and the transgender doctor Beth Upton. The case stems from an incident on Christmas Eve 2023, when Peggie objected to sharing a women's changing room at Victoria Hospital with Upton. This led to a heated exchange, after which Upton reported Peggie to senior management. As a result, Peggie was suspended for alleged gross misconduct.
The Herald Scotland
14 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Baillie: Urgent NHS Fife inquiry needed for Sandie Peggie
Ms Peggie is suing her employer and Dr Beth Upton after the nurse at Victoria Hospital objected to sharing a changing room with the transgender medic on Christmas Eve 2023. She was suspended on January 3, 2024, after Dr Upton submitted a complaint alleging bullying and harassment and two patient safety concerns. Ms Peggie was cleared of all four gross misconduct allegations after NHS Fife ruled there was "insufficient evidence". Speaking exclusively to The Herald, Dame Jackie said the Scottish must "end" it, adding there "absolutely" needs to be an independent investigation into the health board. She said: "I can't help but think of the 800,000 people on waiting lists across Scotland, many of whom are from Fife: the delayed discharges, the cancer waiting lists. Read more: "All of them exert the real pressures on the NHS and yet so much time of NHS Fife's senior management team has been devoted to this case." She added: "Sandra is a nurse and we should value our nurses. NHS Fife's primary responsibility is healthcare and dealing with patients, so why are they pitting staff groups against each other? "I also question the sense of NHS Fife being joint defenders in this action and I question the amount of money that's been spent on this and every day. NHS Fife are not covering themselves in glory." NHS Fife's legal costs reached £258,831 on June 30, 2025, but are likely to have soared since the tribunal resumed in July. Dame Jackie condemned the Scottish Government handling of the failed GRR legislation. (Image: Colin Mearns) In February, Dame Jackie, alongside party leader Anas Sarwar, said they would not vote for the GRR Bill "knowing what we know now". Labour MSPs were whipped to support the legislation in 2022, with Carol Mochan and Claire Baker losing their frontbench roles for opposing it. But Dame Jackie told [[The Herald]] that the party backed the legislation because the [[Scottish Government]] gave "reassurances" that all of the complexities would be discussed with the UK Government. Read more: The Scottish Government lost its Court of Session appeal against the UK Government's decision to block the legislation using a Section 35 of the Scotland Act. The court argued that the Scottish legislation would have a significant impact on equality law across the UK, particularly the Equality Act 2010. The Bill aimed to simplify the process for transgender people to obtain legal recognition of their acquired gender. It would have lowered the age for legal recognition and removed the requirement for a medical diagnosis, while also shortening the waiting time. The Scottish Labour deputy leader said: "There is no way on earth that Scottish ministers - and particularly the health minister - knew nothing about what was going to happen. I don't understand why we are still here. Some people believe it should play out, but to be frank, if I was the Scottish Government, I would have ended this. "The issue now is that Sandie Peggie won't be the only person. There will be other health boards and other public bodies. The government needs to move fast on this. It can't wait until after the election." "Practically, we need to see where there has been institutional capture and fix that," she added. "That's what the Scottish Government should do without waiting. I'm now in a place that says we should be inclusive of everybody in society but there's a way of doing it that safeguards the rights of others." Ms Baillie said she "had assurances on the record" that the Scottish Government would liaise with the UK Government. "Our fault was to believe the reassurances we'd been given that there were negotiations going on with the UK Parliament." A spokesperson for NHS Fife said: 'NHS Fife did not initiate the ongoing legal proceedings and is instead defending an action brought against it. 'While we recognise the significance of the ongoing tribunal, the Health Board has never lost sight of its core purpose, which is to provide the best possible healthcare services for the people of Fife. 'Furthermore, we remain committed to ensuring our working environments are respectful, inclusive, and supportive places for all of our staff, while fulfilling our statutory and legal obligations as an employer.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "It would be inappropriate to comment further while judicial proceedings in an Employment Tribunal are ongoing. 'This year, we are investing a record £21.7 billion in health and social care including £106 million to help health boards tackle the longest waits and deliver over 300,000 additional appointments."
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
NHS bosses ‘still on the hook' despite nurse Sandie Peggie's ‘racist' remarks, says Anas Sarwar
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NHS bosses are still in the firing line over their trans policy even if a nurse at the centre of a tribunal row did make 'racist' remarks, Anas Sarwar said. The Scottish Labour leader said 'horrific' remarks attributed to nurse Sandie Peggie about ethnic minorities does not detract from public bodies' duty to keep biological males out of female changing rooms. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Nurse Sandie Peggie was accused of making highly racist remarks Credit: Getty 4 She was suspended by NHS Fife for challenging trans Dr Beth Upton (pictured) about using the women's changing room Credit: Alamy 4 Anas Sarwar said Ms Peggie's remarks should not let NHS Fife off the hook Credit: Les Gallagher Ms Peggie has denied claims from two colleagues that she joked about posting bacon through the letterbox of a local mosque, insisting the remark came from a paramedic on the ward. Ms Peggie admitted she had a fear of the mosque being built in Kirkcaldy due to her having concerns about Sharia Law being introduced in the UK. She said did not dislike all Muslims and that her beliefs did not mean she would ever treat patients differently. The nurse, who worked for 30 years with NHS Fife, also said a number of racist jokes in a WhatsApp chat regarding flooding in Pakistan that killed nearly 2,000 people in 2022 was humour, intended to try and shock people. The nurse said she had used derogatory terms to describe people from Pakistan and China because these were common terms when she was growing up. She said people of those ethnicities that she knew were not offended when the terms had been used. MSP Mr Sarwar said: 'Those comments, if they are as attributed, are completely and utterly unacceptable. 'But we have also got to be really careful that we don't distract from the big issues that matter. 'Just because we might find these comments attributed horrific doesn't mean health boards and the Scottish Government should not comply with the Equality Act and protect single sex spaces based on biological sex. 'We can do that while also building a society that is free of prejudice of any kind, including racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, antisemitism and Islamophobia.' NATS health secretary Neil Gray today failed to back nurse Sandie Peggie amid a row over single-sex space
