I feel tarnished says Beefeater wrongly sacked for harassment

A beefeater sacked for allegedly bullying a woman colleague has spoken out for the first time since receiving a formal apology and a reported £100,000 in compensation.

Mark Sanders-Crook said he felt "tarnished" by the claims. The 44-year-old father-of-two was sacked from the Tower of London last November after allegations he had harassed Moira Cameron, 45, the first woman to wear the scarlet tunic for more than 500 years.

Ms Cameron said she was so distressed by the alleged bullying after she joined the Tower in 2007 that some of her hair had fallen out.

Mr Sanders-Crook said: "I had always expected to see out the rest of my working life at the Tower of London.

"I've always strongly denied these allegations and I'm still in touch with the other warders who have been very supportive."

Mr Sanders-Crook said he was "humbled" by a Facebook campaign to have him reinstated, which was joined by more than 2,000 people. He said: "I didn't realise people held me in such high respect."

Mr Sanders-Crook declined to comment on the reported £100,000 payoff, a figure which the Tower of London said was based on "speculation".

The payment was settled days before an employment tribunal was due to begin.

A Tower of London spokeswoman said: "Since the dismissal of Mr Sanders-Crook, and the subsequent internal appeal, Historic Royal Palaces has reviewed this matter and has concluded that the dismissal was not justified.

"It regrets the pain caused to Mark Sanders-Crook and his family. We have therefore apologised to him and agreed on an appropriate settlement."

Before the allegations surfaced, the former non-commissioned officer with the Grenadier Guards had a 25-year unblemished military career. Mr Sanders-Crook, whose father, Ray, was also a Beefeater, had served with the Royal Medical Corps in conflicts including the Bosnian war.

He was the most decorated ex-soldier at the Tower, which hires non-commissioned officers with a record of good conduct and long service in the Army, RAF or Royal Marines to become Beefeaters, on a salary of £25,000 a year.

He now works as a controller for a firm specialising in political and medical evacuations from places such as Iraq and Afghanistan.