Accountant who quoted Dad’s Army to brand female director a ‘stupid girl’ is found guilty of sexist misconduct, after calling her ‘moaning mini’ and telling her ‘not to get her knickers in a twist’

A veteran accountant has been found guilty of sexism after he misquoted Dad’s Army to brand a female director as ‘a stupid girl’ and ‘Moaning Mini’ during a property row.

David Forge used Captain Mainwaring’s famous line from the classic BBC sitcom to ‘belittle’ his opponent in an email, a disciplinary committee was told.

In the TV series, Mainwaring – played by Arthur Lowe – repeatedly refers to Ian Lavender’s Private Pike – as ‘Stupid Boy’.

In this instance, however, Mr Forge changed it as part of an ongoing row with the woman who sat on the board of a property management firm.

‘In the infamous amended words of Captain Mainwaring – you stupid girl,’ he wrote as part of a series of ‘sexist, aggressive and offensive’ messages.

After being found guilty of misconduct by the committee, Mr Forge has been kicked out of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) for his ‘egregious’ behaviour and ordered to pay more than £15,000 in legal costs.

Veteran accountant David Forge (pictured) has been found guilty of sexism after he misquoted Dad’s Army to brand a female director as ‘a stupid girl’ and ‘Moaning Mini’ during a property row

David Forge used Captain Mainwaring’s (pictured centre) famous line from the classic BBC sitcom to ‘belittle’ his opponent in an email, a disciplinary committee was told

The hearing was told Mr Forge, of Maidstone, Kent, had become involved in a dispute with staff involved in managing a development where he owned a property.

He believed the property management firm had committed fraud and between 2015 and 2018 sent a number of messages to people involved in the row, the committee was told.

In one, he described a male chartered surveyor – identified only as Mr A – as ‘the scum of the earth’.

In another in 2016 he asked the female director known only as Ms D: ‘Dear, oh dear… haven’t you got anything better to do like washing up?’.

In another email to Ms D that year, he stated: ‘In the infamous amended words of Captain Mainwaring – you stupid girl*’, while he titled a later email ‘Moaning Mini’.

Mr Forge later threatened a female chartered surveyor, identified as Ms B, involved in the dispute with arrest just days before Christmas.

‘I believe a good time for the police to arrest working mothers is 11:00 on a Sunday morning so please listen out for the doorbell,’ he wrote.

‘It is more likely to be Santa this Sunday but next time it could be Mr Plod. Of course, if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about.’

Ms B was so distressed by this message, she called the police herself, the hearing was told.

Mr Forge emailed Mr A in 2018 to call him an ‘old git’. ‘I hope you have a rotten day,’ he said, referring to him as a ‘dead man walking’.

‘You are an embarrassment to your profession and a total disgrace,’ he wrote.

Mr Forge – who had been a member of the ICAEW since 1981 – did not attend the hearing and said he wished to resign from the professional regulator.

However, he did not deny making the comments and said he believed they were ‘justified, appropriate and proportionate’.

The committee found he had breached the ICAEW’s Code of Ethics through his use of ‘sexist, belittling and unprofessional language’.

‘The tribunal was satisfied that using the phrase “scum of the earth” was completely unacceptable and amounted to discreditable conduct,’ it said.

The use of the phrases ‘you stupid girl’ and ‘knickers in a twist’ in one message was sexist, the committee said.

‘The overall tone of the email, which again was addressed to Ms D, was aggressive and offensive,’ it found.

The tribunal described the email sent two days before Christmas to Ms B as the ‘worst example of Mr Forge’s offensive behaviour’.

‘It included allegations of criminal behaviour, threats regarding police arrest and highly disparaging remarks relating to Ms ‘B’s children and her approach to parenting’ the committee said.

‘The Tribunal concluded that any recipient would likely find an email of this nature threatening and intimidating. The fact Ms B contacted the police following receipt of this email demonstrated the significant distress to which it had put her.’

Deciding to exclude Mr Forge from the ICAEW, the committee said: ‘The comments included language which was sexist i.e. discriminatory, grossly offensive and was of a threatening nature, which caused offence and hurt to a number of people.

‘The conduct continued over a significant period of time and offensive comments were made repeatedly.

‘The Tribunal considered that, in light in particular of the prolonged pattern of egregious conduct, discriminatory comments, his lack of insight and the risk of repetition, Mr Forge’s conduct was incompatible with his continued membership of a professional body.’

Mr Forge – who when told of the disciplinary hearing replied that he was on a cruise – was also ordered to pay costs in the sum of £15,290.

Mr Forge declined to comment.