Former cemetery manager claims unfair dismissal; denies claim he tried 'to extort extra money' from employer

The judge said Paul Cullen had used the protected disclosure in part as a means to enhance his negotiations for an exit package and he was entitled to do so.

A director and joint owner of Kilternan Cemetery Park Limited, told the court that general manager Paul Cullen had threatened to make a protected disclosure about purported planning breaches within the graveyard. File image

A former manager of Kilternan Cemetery Park tried “to extort extra money” from his employer in a bid to boost an exit package from his €100,000-a-year job, a court has heard.

Tim Crowley, a director and joint owner of Kilternan Cemetery Park Limited, told Judge John O’Connor in the Circuit Civil Court that general manager Paul Cullen had threatened to make a protected disclosure about purported planning breaches within the graveyard.