Posted by Chinenye on Thu 30th Jul, 2026 - tori.ng
A former university lecturer has lost his bid to reclaim his job after arguing that his controversial classroom remarks were protected as free speech.
(Russell Cherrington. Photo Credit: GB News)
Russell Cherrington, a senior lecturer at the University of Derby, lost his appeal against his termination after an employment tribunal confirmed the university's decision to fire him for using language that was deemed "misogynistic," "transphobic," and "divisive."
A former film studies lecturer's attempt to overturn his dismissal on free speech grounds has failed after an appeal tribunal ruled against him.
Cherrington had challenged his sacking from the university, arguing that his comments were protected under his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
According to an online news platform on Thursday, the case followed complaints from four students about his conduct while teaching on the institution's Film and High End TV programme.
The tribunal heard that the complaints surfaced after the course recorded poor results in the National Student Survey.
The lecturer was suspended on December 18, 2023, and a subsequent investigation in 2024 uncovered several instances described as "gross misconduct."
The employment tribunal found Cherrington to be misogynistic, noting that he "only, or almost exclusively," referred to women in his class as "females."
It also found he used misogynistic language when assessing a student's music video, describing the lead actress as "not attractive enough for the role."
Cherrington did not deny calling female students "females," explaining that he used the term because he did not know their names. He also maintained he did not believe his comment about the actress's attractiveness was harmful.
The tribunal also heard that he did not deny telling a student that if they had worn certain nail polish "back in the day," they would have been labelled derogatorily.
He was further accused of using transphobic language after allegedly referring to a student who was transitioning as a "troublesome trans kid."
Cherrington denied making that specific remark, telling the tribunal he had only used the example of a transitioning student to illustrate that he would support any student regardless of background.
He also rejected claims that he was ableist over an alleged comment that universities were "becoming a care home for people with disabilities."
Despite what the tribunal described as a "previously unblemished disciplinary record," Cherrington was dismissed in April 2024 over language the university deemed inappropriate and unprofessional.
During the disciplinary hearing, he submitted a list of eight students who he said could vouch for his teaching and how he treated students, but they were not contacted.
The professor leading the disciplinary panel reportedly felt he should not weigh what might have been positive accounts of Cherrington against the allegations of inappropriate and unprofessional conduct.
Having failed to overturn his dismissal before an employment tribunal in May, Cherrington took his case to the Employment Appeal Tribunal, arguing that his academic freedom of expression had been breached.
Employment Appeal Tribunal Judge Mr Justice Cavanagh dismissed the appeal, ruling that the European Convention on Human Rights does not automatically have to be considered in every unfair dismissal case.
Rejecting his free speech arguments, the judge said the employment tribunal had considered whether Cherrington's dismissal breached the university's freedom of speech obligations and had concluded that it did not.
He added that the tribunal was clearly well aware that the university had a duty to promote and protect freedom of speech for its employees, before formally dismissing the appeal.