Third former S4C senior manager takes channel to court

A third former executive of a publicly-funded broadcaster has taken their ex-employer to court.

S4C's former director of platforms Amanda Rees filed a personal injury claim in the High Court on 3 February.

She is the third person from its management team in two years to bring proceedings against the Welsh-language broadcaster but said she does not want to comment.

S4C said it also did not wish to comment.

The court documents are not yet publicly available.

Rees joined S4C in 2016 as creative director of content before becoming director of platforms.

After leaving in late 2023, she has taken up various roles, including as a non-executive director of Ofcom's Wales advisory committee and chairman of Ffilm Cymru Wales.

S4C has also faced legal claims from two other high-profile former employees.

Ex-chief executive Sian Doyle was sacked from her £162,000-a-year role in November 2023 after being accused of being "dictatorial" and "creating a culture of fear".

Doyle said at the time she did not "recognise or accept the allegations" and later brought a personal injury claim against S4C, which was settled last year.

A separate High Court claim by former chief content officer Llinos Griffin-Williams remains ongoing.

She was sacked over allegations of gross misconduct in 2023, in which she was accused of being drunk and verbally abusive in a work capacity to former rugby player Mike Phillips.

Griffin-Williams denies the allegations and is claiming for loss of earnings, reputational damage and injury to her feelings and health.

She also claims other individuals at S4C "about whom allegations capable of amounting to gross misconduct had been made" were not summarily dismissed as she was.

S4C previously said there had been no record of complaints about other members of staff and it continued to defend the lawsuit.