Christian nurse, Jennifer Melle, has been suspended by an NHS Trust after she spoke to the media about how she was investigated and disciplined for refusing to refer to a male child sex offender patient as a woman.
The convicted paedophile, ‘Mr X’, is in a high security male prison after multiple convictions for luring boys into sex acts while pretending to be a teenage girl on social media.
After refusing to refer to Mr X as a ‘she’ while on duty, Jennifer Melle, 40, from Croydon, was racially abused and physically threatened.
Following an investigation, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals referred Jennifer to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), who said in a letter that Jennifer is ‘a potential risk’ for not using Mr X’s preferred ‘gender identity.’
To date, the hospital has done nothing to address how she was treated by the patient and has continued to treat her like the criminal.
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Jennifer is taking legal action against the Trust on the grounds of harassment, discrimination and human rights’ breaches, in a case that is believed to be unprecedented.
In response to her claims, NHS lawyers have said that Christian beliefs Miss Melle holds, that we are born male and female, are ‘not worthy of respect in a democratic society.’
After her story broke in the media as front page news on Sunday 23 March, her story was viewed millions of times online and supported by J.K Rowling.
When Jennifer came into work at St Helier hospital in South London the following day, she was hugged and greeted by members of staff who thanked her for what she had done.
Many student nurses also contacted Jennifer thanking her for the stand she had taken.
The mood in the hospital quickly turned to one of fear, however, when staff were told not to speak about the story publicly or to speak to Jennifer about it.
Jennifer was running a clinic with patients waiting for consultation with a doctor when, without warning, she was pulled into an ‘informal’ meeting and told that she had to meet with the Chief Nurse the following morning at 9am.
Accompanied by a Darlington Nursing Union representative, Jennifer met with the Chief Nurse and another member of staff in a porter cabin at the back of the hospital.
Lasting only five minutes, Jennifer was told there had been a ‘potential data breach’, after her story was shared in the media, which could amount to ‘gross misconduct.’
Jennifer was told she would be suspended on full pay and would be banned from the hospital premises.
Pushed on what the grounds for suspension were for a nurse with an unblemished record, the Chief Nurse refused to state the specifics of the allegations pending a full investigation.
Told to collect her belongings, Jennifer was then escorted from the premises in tears.
Kemi Badenoch: ‘She has my full support’
Following her suspension, Jennifer said:
“I am devastated to have been suspended simply for whistleblowing. To this day, I have not even been told what I have supposedly done wrong.
“As a dedicated Christian nurse, I am experiencing relentless institutional abuse, harassment, bullying, and racial discrimination.
“Ever since I expressed my Christian beliefs under extreme pressure, I have been a marked woman.
“Despite being the one placed at risk, I am the one being punished. I have been made to feel like a criminal.
“The message I have received throughout this investigation is clear: I am expected to tolerate extreme racism, deny biological reality, and suppress my deeply held Christian beliefs—all in the name of ‘inclusivity’ and protecting falsehoods.
“I am trusting in Jesus to guide me through this. I must take a stand. I genuinely worry about how many other NHS workers are silently enduring similar injustices.”
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “This is blatant, unlawful victimisation. Jennifer’s decision to speak out about her treatment is a legally protected act under the Equality Act.
“The NHS has become so entrenched in transgender ideology that it is willing to side with a man brought in from prison in chains —who was openly shouting racist abuse—over a Christian nurse.
“We have seen many shocking cases in recent years, but what Jennifer Melle is enduring takes this issue to a whole new, deeply disturbing level.
“What we are looking for here is an immediate U-turn and a full apology—not a suspension and yet another investigation.
“Internal investigations usually become very prolonged and an exercise in buying time to piece together the NHS narrative.
“We call on Health Secretary Wes Streeting to intervene. He is already engaged in the Darlington nurses’ case and has expressed his horror at their treatment. It is time for government action to stop this injustice.
“We will stand with Jennifer for as long as it takes to secure justice—not just for her, but for all nurses who face discrimination under this harmful ideology.”
Leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch described Jennifer’s treatment as ‘completely crazy and said: ‘She has my full support. It’s time the Government pulls its finger out and intervenes to make it clear no one should be punished at work for stating biological reality to paedophiles.’
