EDWARDS – YOU'RE A F**KIN EMBARRASSMENT

Last updated : 06 September 2002 By Editor

How this redundant sex pest hasn’t been dispensed with at Old Trafford is anyone’s guess. Is he still actually drawing a wage? The Mirror reports:

A woman has told how she complained that Martin Edwards spied on her in the toilets at Old Trafford - the third protest involving the football tycoon.

Vera Murphy, 37, said a special lock was fitted inside the toilets after she reported it to management.

She told the Daily Mirror: "It's terrifying to be sitting there with your skirt up and know there's a man looking at you. I said to a colleague 'Something must be done'."

Vera, who worked in the football club's catering department, recalled: "It was late afternoon and I went to use the toilets in the general office."

She says she knew Edwards, then club chairman, had his office at the end of the corridor where the lavatories were and was aware of rumours about his "habit" from other girls. She said: "I was using the toilet when I heard the door open.

"The floor covering is lino and generally you'd hear footsteps if anyone came in. But this time the door closed and there was silence. I felt uneasy."

Vera says she had been told that a Peeping Tom had previously turned on the tap and left it running to cover up any noise.

She went on: "I waited and then froze when the tap went on. I knew it must be him. My stomach was churning and I began to panic.

"I looked up and down because I'd heard the Peeping Tom looked over or under the cubicle wall. I saw the top of this man's head under the door and I recognised him straightaway. I knew what was going on but thought, 'I don't believe this'. I flushed the toilet to try to warn him off and he got up and left.

"I heard doors open and knew he had gone out.

"Then my panic turned to anger and I raced out of the loo after him.

"The tap was still running. I thought, 'You can't even go to the loo around here'. As I got back into the corridor I saw the back of his head as he went round the corner to his office.

"I met a secretary and, although I knew who the man was, I asked, 'Was that the chairman?' and she said 'Yeah'. I went back to my office and told one of the management what had happened. He didn't seem surprised. I was angry. It's all about power.

"Anyway, I told my manager, 'I'm letting you know that the chairman has been in the ladies' toilets.

"He promised to investigate. His words were 'Right, OK, well leave it to me'.

"And, obviously, something was said because a lock was fitted to the inside of the toilet."

Vera, from Manchester, left the club three years ago and retrained as a nursery nurse after accepting redundancy money.

She said: "I gave 110 per cent to Man United for 15 years but was glad that part of my life was over.

"And I do think it's wrong that certain people can get away with things because of who they are."

The Mirror tried to contact Edwards but he was unavailable to comment on Vera's claims. A Manchester United spokesman said they had no comment.