A Bradford woman who said she was relentlessly taunted by colleagues because of chronic flatulence has had her claims dismissed by a tribunal.

The employment tribunal heard that the woman - who cannot be named because of a court ruling - suffered severe irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which she claimed led to an embarrassing wind problem at work.

The woman's lawyers claimed at the hearing that she was subjected to cruel jibes about a "terrible smell" and that a colleague mocked her saying: "She opens the windows because she is stinking the place out."

In another alleged incident, her line manager made an "unhumorous bowel joke" and another colleague made "exaggerated sniffing noises" in earshot of her.

However, her claims for disability and race discrimination and constructive dismissal have all now been dismissed by a panel of tribunal judges.

The woman initially complained about being harassed but disciplinary proceedings were started against her because of her increased sickness absences and concerns about the quality of her work at Leeds Metropolitan University, the tribunal heard.

She was eventually sacked by the university after long bouts of sick leave.

The tribunal was told that at one point the woman was off sick for an average of four days every month, but she had failed to register with a local GP and did not produce the required sick notes.

Her line manager Nick Cole told the court the reasons for her sacking in 2006 were unrelated to her condition.

In fact, her bosses were becoming "less confident in her ability" and she was "increasingly difficult to manage", he said.

He also claimed to have been "absolutely" shocked to learn through an official grievance letter that his colleague felt she was being unfairly targeted.

He dismissed the "sniffing" claims as "wild" and based on retaliation at the disciplinary procedures that had been started against her.

Mr Cole's comments were backed up in a psychiatric report which said the woman had "obsessional and paranoid" personality traits.

The report, by a Dr Bradbury, said: "These traits make her vulnerable to interpret adverse managerial decisions as having malicious intent and this would then understandably make her anxious and also likely to complain, which is a further source of anxiety.

"When in such a state of anxiety the personality traits make individuals more likely to misperceive others' intentions.

"Events within the office took on significant meaning for her as she became more anxious and self-referring."

At the hearing in December, the panel made an order under rule 50 of the coroners' rules banning naming of the woman, her address or her job title.

The panel's written ruling, released to the Telegraph & Argus today, dismissed all three of her claims.

It read: "The claimant suffered at various times from painful and debilitating bouts of her IBS condition. She was already under pressure because of a move to a new house with its attendant financial obligations and she had financial concerns for the charity for whom she volunteered to be a treasurer in 2004.

"These stressful events exacerbated her IBS. Her medical condition caused her to be absent on a number of occasions and she feared she would be dismissed.

"She was unhappy in an open-plan office and possibly became unduly concerned as to whether, as a result of IBS, she was suffering from flatulence."

e-mail: marc.meneaud@telegraphandargus.co.uk