A CITIZENS Advice Bureau worker sacked after saving the life of a suicidal woman by calling a GP for help has claimed that justice was done after she won an £18,068 payout for unfair dismissal.

Terri King took her case to an employment tribunal after she was fired for breaching client confidentiality.

The tribunal heard how Mrs King, of Hythe, phoned her distraught client's doctor after she received a call from the woman, known as Ms X, saying she had taken a large overdose of pills to end her life because she could not cope with crippling debt.

Mrs King, a mother of three, had previously been given written consent by Ms X to contact her GP if necessary.

However, bosses at Lymington CAB branded Mrs King's actions as "irrational" with manager Peter Wales telling her that he should have been told before any action was taken, and the national CAB office informed.

Afterwards Mrs King, 57, was given a 12-month written warning for breaching client confidentiality and was ordered to work only between 9am and 5pm when other people were in the office.

On one occasion last September she went into the office early to prepare for a court hearing. When she told Mr Wales, he said it must not happen again.

A few days later when Mrs King raised a grievance over concerns about her treatment she was dismissed on the grounds of insubordination.

The tribunal was told that no disciplinary hearing or internal investigation took place beforehand.

After the tribunal, Mrs King thanked her legal team and supporters. She said: "I came here for justice and I have got justice. For me that was the prime aim.

"A person's life has got to be the main thing.

"I chose to come to work at the CAB from the credit industry and took a pay cut. As a debt case worker I came across a huge degree of hardship and loved helping people.

"I am very supportive of the CAB organisation. There are a wonderful bunch of volunteers.

"But the CAB management made a gross error. The manner of my dismissal was so insulting and humiliating."

The tribunal was also told that Mrs King had received no training about the CAB's confidentiality policy.

Ian Soulsby, chairman of the employment tribunal, said there was no criticism of Mrs King.

He said: "The life of Miss X must have been in imminent danger. She knew she had on file the authority to deal with the GP. From any point of view this could only be described as a sensible course of action to take. It is ridiculous for Lymington CAB to class it as irrational."

Mr Soulsby also criticised the "draconian" measures imposed on the times when Mrs King could work, when she had previously given five years' outstanding service at the bureau.