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Raja Minhas said if women dressed “inappropriately” some men see it as an “open invitation” to sexually assault them after observing a teenager’s dress in the mall where he worked. The sales adviser ‑ who earned more than £100,000 as well as receiving a £2,296 Sky TV package ‑ was fired for gross misconduct.

But he won his claim of unfair dismissal earlier this year after a judge ruled he had expressed remorse and the comments were made in a private conversation. 

A tribunal in Liverpool has now awarded him £51,082 in damages.

Mr Minhas was said to have made the comment to a female colleague in 2019 when he was working on a Sky stall in a shopping centre in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Mia Klemetti said Mr Minhas remarked, after two teenagers aged around 15 or 16 walked past, that “girls in general who wear skirts like that and then get raped it’s their own fault”. 

The tribunal heard he said if girls dressed like that “sick people” might take advantage. 

Another colleague heard it and told bosses as he feared it would give “Pakistanis a bad name”.

When Mr Minhas was questioned by managers he said he knew he had no right to comment on what customers were wearing.

Despite his apologies he was suspended and then dismissed for gross misconduct, partly on the incorrect assumption he made the comments directly to the teens.

In its judgment, the panel said he was “contrite, apologetic and showed remorse”. 

It added: “The incident did not require [Mr Minhas] to be dismissed and such a sanction is outside the band of reasonable responses. Mr Minhas never condoned rape.”

Tribunal judge Mr Robinson said: “He must be compensated properly for his consequent loss.”

At a separate remedy hearing, Mr Minhas had asked to have his old job back but his request was denied as the panel felt it could cause ructions. 

That hearing was told he had got a sales job in Hertfordshire after being sacked by Sky, and his son had tragically died in June.

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