A male live-in nanny, sacked by his millionaire employer after he tore a ligament in his wrist while preparing a lobster supper for her son's dinner, has been denied compensation.

Brian Handford was hired to look after Yulia Shkop's eight-year-old son in October 2020 and moved into their £5milllion mansion on the famous Wentworth Estate in Virginia Water, an exclusive community home to Russian oligarchs, singers and business owners. 

But the relationship between employer and employee broke down five months later when the self-described "manny" injured his hand after he was asked to cook a box of lobsters for the little boy's dinner. 

After a video call with the chef, the claimant was guided towards a Youtube video which gave instructions on how to prepare and cook the lobsters ‘humanely’.

But he tore a ligament in his wrist, which ended up requiring surgery and three months of rehabilitation, and expected his employer to pay for his treatment.

Ms Shkop initially agreed but later changed her mind and the pair argued with her later sacking him from his £36,000-a-year position. 

During the employment tribunal on January 16, 2023, the nanny said that he took ‘no personal responsibility’ due to the fact that he was asked to prepare the lobsters ‘during working hours’.

The tribunal heard how a meeting between the employer, employee and house manager turned sour and was overheard by the son, which prompted Mr Handford to move out of the luxury property and into the staff cottage. He was notified of his dismissal days later. 

Mr Handford claimed he been automatically unfairly dismissed, suffered unlawful deductions from his wages and not received an amended statement of written particulars as required by statute.

In regard to the unfair dismissal, the court rejected his claim due to the argument on July 2, believing Ms Shkop lost her ‘faith and trust’ in him after their disagreement.

The court said: ‘Fundamentally, Ms Shkop was of the opinion that Mr Handford was arguing too much and ignored, in her view, the generosity she had always offered.

‘This may be classed as a loss of trust and confidence.’

The tribunal also dismissed Mr Handford’s claim for an unlawful deduction of wages.

The panel said: “The claim of unlawful deduction of wages turns on whether pursuant to the contract wages were “properly payable” in respect of standby time, time eating meals and/or periods when the Respondent was in quarantine."

It ruled in favour of his claim that Ms Shkop breached her requirement to provide an amended written statement of particulars, in relation to being unable to work due to sickness, but concluded he was not due any compensation.

The Wentworth Estate is a private estate of large houses set in about seven square kilometres woodland, in Runnymede, Surrey. It started in the early 1920s.