She was drawn into the "inspection" and said this incident was the catalyst that led to a series of grievances procedures against her, a six- month suspension, and her eventual resignation, in July, 2008.

Mr Murphy said these allegations were "red herrings" that had no place in an employment tribunal. He said: "Mr De Rooy has been running two care homes for 20 years in one of the most regulated industries in the country.

"It was my decision that Mr De Rooy shouldn’t be brought to this tribunal, as these claims are ill- founded."

But Robert Askey, for Miss Boden, highlighted the fact that the care home had not denied her allegations.

"To say that the things the company has done are just in her imagination, if this truly is the employer’s position, it is just about as offensive as you can possibly be and shows what an utter breakdown in trust and confidence there was between employer and Miss Boden."

He added: "Having not heard from Mr De Rooy to deny the allegations and as the only witness knew nothing about it, as she was not at Polder Care at the time, leads to his credibility being limited.

"This is what Carole Boden says and he does not deny it."

Employment judge Keith Robinson yesterday decided to reserve judgment.

This decision means that Miss Boden will wait for up to two weeks to find out whether her case for constructive dismissal has been successful.