Bully beefeater was 'stitched up'

The family of a Beefeater sacked for bullying a woman colleague today claimed he had been "stitched up".

Former Grenadier Guardsman Mark Sanders-Crook, 44, was one of two Beefeaters dismissed for an alleged campaign of bullying against Moira Cameron, 44, the first woman Beefeater in the Tower's 1,000-year history.

Tower authorities launched an internal inquiry last month after Ms Cameron allegedly had her Wikipedia entry tampered with, her uniform defaced and abusive notes left in her locker. A second Beefeater, Bob Brown, 57, was dismissed but the case against a third was not proven.

Mr Sanders-Crook was the first Beefeater in the Tower's history to follow in the footsteps of his father, who worked there from 1983 to 2000, when he was sworn in in 2005. His mother Maureen said: "He spent 22 years in the Army and he was the most decorated soldier at the Tower.

"He has been charged with not talking to Moira outside working hours. How is that harassment? He has been absolutely stitched up." She said her son was now "homeless" after losing his grace-and-favour home in the Tower: "He has a wife and two children. What Moira's done by complaining will affect all of them. To put a single woman in that community was wrong.

"The whole thing could have been avoided if someone senior had told him and Moira to talk things through."

The two sacked Beefeaters have the right to lodge an appeal within a week. The third will return to work shortly. The Tower of London said today: "We expect our staff to demonstrate our commitment to diversity and maintaining a supportive working environment."

Miss Cameron, who is said to have lost her hair through stress-related alopecia, is continuing to work at the Tower. She declined to comment.