Former Banker Jailed After Fabricating Sexual Harassment Claims Against Manager

A City banker who falsely accused his female manager of sexual harassment has been sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay £150,000 in legal costs after a High Court judge ruled he committed “serious contempt of court.”

Damilare Ajao, a former employee of German finance giant Commerzbank in London, was found to have “made up” allegations that his manager had sexually harassed him by commenting on his nipples being visible through a string vest and attempting to touch his Gucci belt buckle in the staff canteen.

Justice Martin Spencer delivered the verdict on Friday, describing Ajao’s claims as a “deliberate and wicked assault” on the professional standing of the manager, identified in court only as “Ms Q.” The judge found “not a shred of truth” in any of Ajao’s allegations.

“Your lies were deliberate and perpetuated over a significant period of time and included the giving of false evidence on oath,” Justice Spencer told Ajao. “They represented an attempt to deceive the court into awarding you substantial damages.”

Ajao worked for Commerzbank’s client life cycle management team at their Gresham Street offices in the City of London from May to November 2019, when he was dismissed. Following his termination, he filed an Employment Tribunal claim alleging sexual harassment and assault by Ms Q.

In his complaint, Ajao claimed Ms Q had told him “I fancy you” and had repeatedly made comments about being able to see his skin and nipples through his shirt over a period of months. He also alleged she became “annoyed” when he rejected her supposed advances.

However, Employment Judge Anthony Snelson dismissed these claims in April 2024, ruling that Ajao’s allegations of sexual harassment and assault were “simply false” and “in large part made up.”

Following this ruling, Commerzbank initiated contempt proceedings against Ajao in the High Court, seeking his imprisonment for making false allegations under oath.

Throughout the proceedings, Ajao maintained his innocence, claiming it was his “perception” that he had been sexually harassed and that he was not deliberately untruthful. His barrister, Sasha Wass KC, argued there was “foundation in evidence” for his claims, noting that Ms Q had acknowledged a conversation about his string vest, though she characterized it as innocent.

The bank’s legal team, led by Louis Browne KC, countered that Ajao had been “very clear” in his Employment Tribunal claims that the events had happened exactly as he described them, with specific intent and motive attributed to Ms Q.

Justice Spencer found Ms Q to be “entirely honest and credible” in her testimony. He determined that her comments about Ajao’s clothing were made in the context of a friendly working relationship between colleagues who occasionally discussed fashion, and not as part of any pattern of sexual harassment.

“There were such discrepancies, inconsistencies and impossibilities in his evidence that it was quite incapable of acceptance,” Justice Spencer said of Ajao’s testimony. “The more I heard of his evidence the more I became sure his evidence was untrue and deliberately so.”

The court heard that Ajao’s false accusations had severe consequences for Ms Q, who reported feeling like a “criminal” and described the experience as “insulting and painful,” leading her to require sleeping medication. The judge also criticized Ajao for attempting to exploit Ms Q’s family bereavement as part of his fabricated narrative.

The case highlights the serious legal consequences of making false allegations in employment disputes. For Ajao, a separated father of two from Medway, Kent, the fallout has been devastating. Once employed in a successful finance career, he now relies on Universal Credit and lives alone following the breakdown of his marriage.

Ajao will be eligible for early release on license after serving eight months of his 20-month sentence. In addition to his prison term, he must pay £150,000 toward Commerzbank’s legal costs in bringing the contempt case.