A university lecturer sacked for “shouting” has won a harassment case, claiming her “naturally loud” voice was an “inherent characteristic” of her eastern European Jewish heritage.

Dr Annette Plaut, a physicist at the University of Exeter, also successfully sued for unfair dismissal and victimisation following her enforced departure after 30 years.

Speaking at an Exeter Tribunal, the lecturer, who has been described as a “Marmite character”, said because her loudness and argumentative style of teaching were inherited from her Jewish parents, who moved from Germany before WWII, any negative comments about her speech or gestures were unconscious racism.

The hearing was told that many students and colleagues liked Dr Plaut’s teaching style, but she was suspended for gross misconduct over a claim she shouted at a female student and shone a ‘laser’ in her eyes. Dr Plaut argued that she had been explaining the scientific concept of saturation and used a desk light in the student’s face to demonstrate it.

The Tribunal panel concluded the claim had been used as a pretext to fire her, because colleagues found her difficult to work with. Bosses at the university had “decided Dr Plaut would not be tolerated further”, it said. The Tribunal heard:

“Dr Plaut is passionate about physics. While she can try to restrain her natural personality, it tends to emerge when she becomes engaged in discussion about physics. She told her students that was how she was, and that they should not take offence. Over the years some colleagues and some students have found this somewhat overbearing, despite Dr Plaut telling students and colleagues that she means nothing by it. There was a view amongst some senior members of the department that Dr Plaut had been allowed for years to get away with behaviour which should really not be tolerated.

“Others valued her contribution, and accepted that she was not an unpleasant person even when being loudly argumentative in discussion. Dr Plaut says that any negativity towards her by reason of her interpersonal communication style is unconscious racism as it stems directly from her inherent cultural upbringing.”

Harassment is unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct that violates the dignity of a person or creates a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.