A female soldier who claimed she suffered psychiatric injury because of harassment by colleagues has won £6,983 damages.
Donna Rayment, 41, alleged that three senior officers wanted to drive her out of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), where she held the rank of lance sergeant until she was dismissed in June 2005 while on sick leave for stress.
She claimed at London's High Court that she developed adjustment disorder and depression because of her treatment, and sought damages for her lost employment as the commanding officer's driver.
But Justice Nicola Davies said that Ms Rayment, of Rose Road, Canvey Island, Essex, was only entitled to £5,000 damages in respect of three events which exacerbated her recurrent depression to a mild to moderate degree for nine months.
These related to a meeting in May 2004 when she was wrongly told she no longer had the driver's job and had to repay a month's salary and the "unfair and unjust" circumstances in which she was issued a final written warning in February 2005 and later discharged.
The judge also made an award of £500 for the distress caused to Ms Rayment by the blown-up framed pornographic photos displayed on the walls of the rest room used by drivers. The court heard that Ms Rayment, the only permanent female driver, took down the photos and repainted the room, but they were put up again until she complained to the Regimental Sergeant Major.
The judge dismissed Ms Rayment's claim for loss of earnings as she accepted the MoD's argument that she was unsuited to the driver's role and it was highly unlikely that she would have successfully completed her probationary period.
She commented: "There were faults on both sides. The claimant was a challenging employee, those who worked with her were increasingly frustrated by her attitude and conduct, and on occasions this showed. In 2003 to 2004, the claimant presented as a woman well able to challenge that which she did not accept and accustomed to military establishments where robust language could be used."
The balance of the award was made up of sums for travel expenses, complementary medical treatment and interest.
After the ruling, Wendy Outhwaite QC for the MoD, which denied negligence and harassment, told the judge that Ms Rayment had turned down a "rather generous" pre-trial offer of £60,000 damages and £125,000 costs to settle the case.
She said that the MoD's costs, up to December, stood at £91,000, while those of Ms Rayment's lawyers, who took the case on a conditional fee agreement, were estimated at £400,000.
Arguing that each side should pay its own legal bill, Ms Outhwaite said that out of 21 allegations of negligence and 42 of harassment, Ms Rayment had succeeded on only four matters.