Divito was given a final written warning around the same time. The tribunal described Divito’s conduct as “probably and predictably facilitated” by Morelli’s.Īfter two years of being subjected to Divito’s obscene remarks Ms McFarland left her role at Morelli’s in early 2018 on a combination of sick leave and maternity leave. The “unwanted and unwelcome sexual attentions”, including crude sexual references, started again within weeks of Ms McFarland’s initial complaint. “In the view of the tribunal, the extreme leniency of the penalty imposed appeared to be symptomatic of grudging minimal compliance with the requirement to address it,” the judgement said. Ms McFarland told the tribunal she felt her complaint was not taken seriously and the family “closed ranks”. She first raised a complaint of sexual harassment against Mr Divito in September 2016 but the tribunal found no investigation into the allegation was conducted, however Divito was given a verbal warning. The tribunal heard Ms McFarland (31), from Coleraine, started working for Morelli’s production centre in the north-coast town in 2015 as an administrative assistant. Morelli’s said it accepted the criticism levelled at it and said Mr Divito no longer worked for the firm. On May 31 the Equality Commission publicised the findings of the tribunal which ruled Ms McFarland had been repeatedly sexually harassed by Divito and this had been facilitated by their employer Morelli’s Ice Cream Ltd.ĭivito, in his 40s, is a member of the extended Morelli family and the tribunal found his conduct was “by any standard, sleazy and sustained”. The tribunal’s decision, originally handed down in 2019, hit the headlines at the end of last month after Ms McFarland successfully overturned an anonymity order protecting the identity of herself and Divito. When approached by Sunday Life at his home an ashen-faced Divito said “no comment” when asked if he’d like to apologise to Ms McFarland for his behaviour and refused to answer any questions about his conduct. ‘I’m finally breaking free’: Angela Carson speaks out about years of abuse at hands of paedophile father.Crystal meth addicts run riot in Ardoyne.