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A multimillionaire motor trade tycoon was fairly fired from his own £200million company after telling a female cleaner: 'I bet you'd like to suck my d***,' a High Court judge found.

Peter Waddell, 59, was sacked in 2024 as CEO of Big Motoring World in what he called a 'planned coup'.

Mr Waddell went from being a homeless teenager on the streets of Glasgow to amassing an estimated £500million fortune as the boss of the motoring firm – Britain's second biggest second-hand car business.

But in 2022, the 59-year-old sold a third share of the business to private equity firm Freshstream for £72million, vowing to spend less time working and more with his family.

Just two years later, he was ousted from his role after an internal investigation found that he made a series of comments towards staff, some of which amounted to harassment, bullying and race discrimination.

He made one comment about liking women 'on their hands and knees' and ordered a colleague to bring him a lemon meringue pie after a disagreement.

He also referred to Hindus as Hyundais – the Korean car brand.

Mr Waddell sought to get himself reinstated as boss by claiming unfair dismissal by Bluebell Cars – the ultimate holding company of Big Motoring World (BIG).

Peter Waddell, 59, was sacked in 2024 as CEO of Big Motoring World in what he called a 'planned coup'

Mr Waddell in front of his former home in Bromley, London. The millionaire grew up in a Scottish care home and is dyslexic and partially deaf

He believed he was the victim of a 'meticulous plan' by those connected with the private investment fund to sideline him and 'strip value' from the formerly thriving business, which he said was now nosediving in his absence.

But Mr Justice Marcus Smith today found that Mr Waddell's removal did not amount to unfair dismissal because he was guilty of misconduct.

The judge did, however, find that there was an unfair prejudice to Mr Waddell's holding company as the majority share owner in the business.

He said the company pursued 'a deliberate process to remove Mr Waddell as CEO come what may'.

The judge added that those running the holding company did not have any interest in reforming Mr Waddell.

'They wanted him gone,' the judge said.

Despite this, Mr Waddell's dismissal was deemed fair.

The judgment follows a seven-week trial at the High Court in London which began in February.

He claimed he only appeared to shout at employees because he is deaf and said that due to his dyslexia he used nicknames to help him remember people.

Alex Gourgey, KC, representing Mr Waddell, previously described the sacking as a plot to oust Mr Waddell organised by Mr Vaughan and others.

The judge found that the multimillionaire motor trade tycoon was fairly fired from his own £200million company

He said: 'The steps taken were invalid and Mr Waddell was wrongfully excluded and removed.

'We contend the steps taken, the investigation, suspension and dismissal of Mr Waddell all took place pursuant to a carefully conceived plan hatched by the investor in conjunction with the chairman and Mr Clarke in the proceeding months.

'A plan which was not disclosed to Mr Waddell - this all took place behind his back.'

James Laddie, KC, for Bluebell Cars, claimed Mr Waddell ran Big Motoring World as a 'fiefdom'.

'That sort of behaviour simply cannot be tolerated in the leader of a 21st century business especially one regulated by the financial conduct authority.

'And the removal of Mr Waddell from his business was nothing less than he deserved.'

Mr Justice Marcus Smith said that BIG's misconduct process had 'comprehensively failed' and that many of the incidents were not part of the grievance process.

He said: 'Mr Waddell was confident and assertive in his business. He enjoyed the car business, and felt in his comfort zone. He is a highly intelligent man, if not an intellectual.

Peter Waddell with his wife Gabby and some of their cars outside Holwood House

'His attention to detail within the business was minute and driven. Within the business, Mr Waddell liked socialising, and saw BIG as a family.

'However, it was a family with Mr Waddell very much at its head, and I am in no doubt that Mr Waddell's employees did not entirely reciprocate these warm feelings.

'I am in no doubt that Mr Waddell could lose his temper, and did so on multiple occasions. I am satisfied that when he did, his language could be unpleasant.

'Mr Waddell has a domineering and controlling personality. He leads from the front, and he imposes his will on those around him.

'There was an extensive CCTV system throughout BIG, and Mr Waddell used it as a tool of control to monitor and improve performance.'

The judge added that Mr Waddell would use nicknames as 'a means of control'.

He once told an interviewee that 'I've got other brown friends too.'

The judge said Mr Waddell had told an employee to 'go and talk to the brown one and tell her to get off the phone'.

Mr Waddell went from being a homeless teenager on the streets of Glasgow to amassing an estimated £500m fortune as the boss of Big Motoring World

But he found that Mr Waddell did not bully an employee causing them to leave as had been alleged.

He also found that Mr Waddell's comment in a meeting that 'we get three weeks out of four' in relation to female staff's menstrual cycles, did not amount to harassment.

The judge went on to say that the consequences of his ruling for the company would be decided at a later hearing.

The judge found that Mr Waddell had stroked a female employee on the back and told her 'you should be glad I am a married man'.

He later told her she looked ‘absolutely ravishing’ referring to her as ‘the Iron Lady’.

The judge concluded that he conducted ‘bullying and harassing conduct’ with a ‘sexual element’ and said it amounted to gross misconduct.

But he added that there was a 'bad faith attempt' to accelerate the sacking process against Mr Waddell.

He said: 'It is, therefore, tempting to say that what BIG should have done is not summarily dismiss Mr Waddell in April 2024, but give him the talking to and final warning that should have occurred months previously.

'That is a temptation I have resisted. It was for BIG to decide whether to accept Mr Waddell’s repudiatory breach of contract.'

A spokesman for Mr Waddell said outside court after the ruling: 'Mr Waddell now sits back on the board from today', adding that he intends to 'take back control of his company'.

Mr Waddell has an astonishing rags to riches story, being taken into care at a children's home in Fairlie, North Ayrshire, aged four and living rough on the streets of Glasgow as a teenager before moving to London and becoming a taxi driver.

From a base in Teynham, Kent, he went on to build Big Motoring World, Britain's second biggest second-hand car empire. It sells 60,000 motors a year and is now worth around £500million after branching out into property and haulage.

His Grade-I listed 56-room mansion Holwood House, near Bromley, Kent, was put on the market at £23.5million last year. The house is steeped in history and boasts a swimming pool complex, two gyms, a cinema, music room and tennis court and is set in 50 acres of parkland.

Mr Waddell has also reportedly built an identical pile on Spain's billionaire's row in Puerto Banus, where neighbours include Novak Djokovic and Simon Cowell.