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McLaren
Mr Dennis, whose drivers include Lewis Hamilton, has been accused of sacking Peter Boland over unfounded rumours that he was homosexual.
And yesterday Mr Boland disclosed how he struggled to live up to his employer’s exacting demands, attending to everything from the silver-leaf fittings to the cushions on the motor-racing tycoon’s private aircraft.
When he was not taking guests to Grands Prix around the world he was available to cater for “V-VIPs” at the McLaren chief’s home in Surrey, his properties abroad or his yacht.
Mr Boland, of Stowmarket, Suffolk, claimed Mr Dennis took a near-obsessive interest in the fine details of everything on board the jet.
According to Mr Boland, cabin crew and even guests were forbidden from wearing shoes on board in order to protect the white silk carpet while only the “brave” dared drink tea on board for fear of staining it, he said.
But despite the demands, Mr Boland said he had been proud to work for Mr Dennis who he claimed promised him a “job for life” and took on the role of “personal mentor” grooming him for a management position.
He alleges that he was suddenly sacked last year after five years’ service because of unfounded rumours that he was homosexual, which he claims were spread by management.
Mr Boland, from Stowmarket in Suffolk, was employed by Absolute Taste, a catering company serving guests at Formula One events, but he was seconded to Greyscape, a private company that flies Mr Dennis’s jet. He was dismissed after he fell asleep on board a flight carrying Mr Dennis.
At a preliminary hearing last year Mr Boland claimed he was dismissed because fellow staff thought he was gay. He said Mr Dennis treated him “dramatically” differently after word went around that he was homosexual.
After the incident on the flight in May 2007, Mr Boland was called to a meeting at the company’s headquarters and told he had two options: “Either take a compromise agreement or go to a tribunal”.
He was offered £8,000 in June that year, and said he then realised the decision to release him was because fellow workers thought he was gay. “Having to explain that I was not gay was extremely embarrassing for all concerned,” he said.
