A FEMALE sailor was turned down for promotion because she was not the best candidate and it had nothing to do with the fact she was a woman, a tribunal appeal heard.

Chief petty officer Jacqueline Cartner, 41, won a sex discrimination case against the Royal Navy when an employment tribunal in Southampton ruled in her favour earlier this year.

The Navy's promotion board procedure was branded "primitive" over its decision to pass Mrs Cartner over for promotion to warrant officer.

She claimed she was more suited to the job than the other candidates - who were men - because she had carried out the role in an acting capacity since February 2006.

CPO Cartner, a former Wren who was based at HMS Collingwood in Fareham, in the Abovewater Warfare Tactical branch, also said she was seen as less worthy of promotion on the grounds of her non-seagoing status.

The Ministry of Defence appealed against the decision which, it was said, could lead the way for claims from other women in the armed forces.

It argued the original tribunal failed to apply the law correctly and that its decision was "perverse".

Richard Coleman, for the MoD, told the Employment Appeal Tribunal in central London, that CPO Cartner was ranked seventh in a strong field of 34 candidates from her branch considered by the Navy's promotion board over a three-day period in January 2008.

There was no face-to-face interview but instead the board looked at reports by commanding officers, according to Mr Coleman, who also said there were not enough warrant officer vacancies for the number of candidates with sufficient merit.

Mr Coleman said: "It was common ground that Mrs Cartner was of sufficient merit to be promoted had there been enough vacancies and had she not had people who, in the judgment of the board, were ahead of her in merit.

"An important consideration in the view of the board was that the recommendation of Mrs Cartner's commanding officer was she was in the top 10.

"There was nothing to suggest she was the best CPO in the AWT branch."

He acknowledged the tribunal decision's criticisms of the procedures and the fact for example, that no notes were made during the discussions, but asserted that the board members believed the system was the best way to separate "finely balanced" candidates.

CPO Cartner, a married mother of two, did not attend the hearing.

CPO Cartner won her case at the Southampton Employment Tribunal, which agreed that her employers had discriminated against her contrary to the Sexual Discrimination Act 1975.

She was awarded an MBE for her services in 2001 and was selected as the Nato Military Member of the Year in 2000.

The hearing continues today.