UK: Sacked MoD Police officer wins sexist fitness case

Article here. Excerpt:

'It found the MoD indirectly discriminated against Koren Brown on the grounds of sex when she was not given the chance to formally take an alternative test.

Ms Brown said she had taken legal action in the hope this would not happen again.

The BBC understands the MoD is appealing.

The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is a civilian force responsible for protecting sensitive sites across the UK.

Koren Brown, originally from Dunblane, first thought about joining the police in primary school. In 2015 she applied to the MoD force and said she was "so happy" when she was successful.

All armed officers recruited after 2014 were required to reach level 7.6 in a fitness test commonly known as the "bleep test." This involves participants running back and forth between two points at increasing speed.

The tribunal said it seemed clear that women would find it more difficult than men to pass the test at the higher level because of "innate biological reasons."

It said there was a measure of agreement between two expert witnesses that those differences included lower average muscle mass, women having a higher percentage of body fat and smaller hearts and lungs.'