Former SQA manager suing over Middle East ‘stress’

A FORMER international project manager with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is suing his former employers after maintaining he suffered post traumatic stress disorder after being dispatched to hotspots for civil unrest across the globe.

Alexander Cook, 62, of Redgorton, Perth, has raised an action claiming £150,000 damages against the SQA at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

During his work with the SQA, he travelled to Beirut in Lebanon, Djakarta in Indo­nesia, Cairo in Egypt and was on a
business trip to Saudi Arabia when unrest broke out in
Bahrain, where he said he had to assist with the evacuation of
employees.

In the action, it is said he feared he would be killed, injured, taken captive or stranded after fighting broke out between rival factions during his trip to Beirut in 2008.

The case called before Lord Bannatyne yesterday as lawyers for the SQA sought to have the personal injury action transferred to another court roll where expanded pleadings would be required.

They claimed that, given the relative novelty of the case, there was a need for detailed pleadings and more time was likely to be needed for preparation.

Euan Mackenzie, counsel for the SQA, said Mr Cook had started employment in 2007 and part of his duties involved travel overseas.

He said he had left the SQA last year and a claim for damages was later made in respect of PTSD suffered in employment.