Murdered teen's father unfairly dismissed from charity

The body of Amanda Duffy was found on waste ground in Hamilton in 1992

The father of murdered teenager Amanda Duffy has been cleared of exploiting a charity he set up in her memory.

An employment tribunal ruled Joe Duffy was unfairly dismissed from Hamilton-based charity People Experiencing Trauma and Loss (Petal).

He has now been awarded almost £40,000 in compensation.

Petal was established by Mr Duffy, 66, and his wife, Kate, after their 19-year-old daughter Amanda was killed following a night out in 1992.

In February, the Crown Office failed in a bid to retry Francis Auld, who stood trial for Amanda's murder but the case was found "not proven" by a jury.

It was hoped a fresh prosecution could take place under Scotland's new double jeopardy laws.

In 2014, Mr Duffy was dismissed from his role as project director with the charity on the grounds of "gross misconduct".

No evidence of profit

It was claimed that he was guilty of misappropriating Petal funds and property, displaying aggressive behaviour and demonstrating unprofessional conduct towards a charity director.

The charity claimed Mr Duffy profited financially by sourcing water coolers and light bulbs from companies with which he had a financial interest.

Mr Duffy explained that the arrangements through a water cooler business and Speedlamps Ltd were long-standing and were known to members of the charity's management committee.

Employment Judge Shona MacLean concluded: "There was no evidence that the claimant made any profit from providing water coolers to the respondent.

"As regards Speedlamps, Ltd, the claimant was not involved on a day-to-day basis. He was not employed by Speedlamps Ltd. There was no evidence he received any dividend."

It emerged that Mr Duffy has set up another charity but he has received no income from it.

He was not available for comment.

Neil Moore, who is now chief executive of Petal, said he had not personally seen the ruling.

He added:"The judgment is with our legal team and the management committee. We will make a statement when they have had the opportunity to review it."