Unfair dismissal | AA ordered to pay £24k to autistic worker sacked over 'violent' joke

The AA has been ordered to pay more than £24,000 in compensation after an employment tribunal found it discriminated against a patrol worker with autism, who was dismissed following an inappropriate remark made during a late-night shift.

Mr Adrian Lloyd-Penny began working for the AA in March 2023 as a recovery patrol, based at the Enfield depot. He disclosed at interview that he had autism, which the company accepted as a disability under the Equality Act 2010.

During his employment, the tribunal heard that Lloyd-Penny found it difficult to process information at times, which could trigger a “meltdown” where he would raise his voice. He told managers that “things being sprung on me that are outside of my usual routine cause me severe anxiety”.

The joke incident and dismissal

The tribunal examined a series of calls made during an overnight shift on 12–13 August 2023.  During a heated exchange with an AA call handler in the early hours. Frustrated by the way his shift was being managed, and triggered by changes to job allocations, Lloyd-Penny told a call handler: “I hope to god I never meet the manager that I was dealing with or the dispatcher that give me this job.