LSE cleaner dismissed over misplaced bracelet receives overwhelming support from colleagues

A grandma is fighting to clear her name after being sacked where she has worked for 13 years over a ‘misplaced bracelet’.

Janet Olufunke Damiro, a 71-year-old cleaner at the London School of Economics (LSE), has been dismissed for alleged theft after she said she accidentally forgot to return a bracelet she found during her shift.

Damiro, who moved to the UK from Nigeria in 1971, explained to Metro that she discovered the gold bracelet and placed it in her purse for safekeeping, intending to hand it in. She said she simply forgot about it until three days later, when university management inquired about the missing item. She immediately retrieved it from her purse and returned it.

Despite apologising and having no prior disciplinary issues in her long employment history, she was suspended and ultimately terminated for gross misconduct at the end of April.

“I can’t sleep,” Janet told Metro. “I’ve never had a problem with HR. I loved working at LSE. I never expected this. I didn’t steal it—I always hand things in. This has never happened to me in all my years here. I feel broken.”

Now without income and struggling to pay her rent, Janet says she’s been left devastated by the decision.

Her union, United Voices of the World (UVW), is actively supporting her case and has appealed the dismissal. A UVW spokesperson said, “It’s absurd to call this theft. Why would someone bring a stolen item back to the place they took it from? Janet has cooperated fully and has always had an impeccable record.”

LSE declined to comment on the matter, citing the ongoing nature of the case.

Janet’s colleagues and students have rallied around her. More than 70 colleagues—including three of her supervisors—have signed a letter to LSE’s management defending her character and work ethic.

“Janet has always conducted herself with integrity and consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic,” the letter states. A student-led petition is also calling for her reinstatement, arguing that the punishment is grossly disproportionate to the incident.

A scheduled appeal hearing on May 22 was postponed shortly after it began, following remarks from Janet’s caseworker. LSE has since rescheduled the hearing for later in June.