A BAR manager who thought she suffered a stroke at a Christmas party discovered she had actually been strangled by her chef, an inquest heard.

Molly Phillips, 24, told how she passed out after chef Nathan Webb gripped her neck at the festive party.

Manager Miss Phillips went to hospital to get checked for a suspected stroke - as she had no recollection of what happened.

A tribunal was told Miss Phillips checked the CCTV of the Cameo Club in Penylan, Cardiff, days later - and saw herself being strangled.

She told company directors about the attack on New Year's Day but claims they "dismissed" her complaints.

Miss Phillips has now brought an unfair dismissal claim against Pontcanna Pub Company Ltd - saying she felt unsafe and had to resign.

She said: “It wasn’t until I watched the CCTV properly that I realised what had happened.

"Nathan Webb puts his arms around my neck, pulls it tighter with his fists clenched, and despite my trying to push him off me, he doesn’t let go.

“I then pass out in his arms, he then drops me and I smash my head against a fridge, and he is laughing the whole time."

The alleged incident took place at the Cameo Club in Roath, Cardiff.

Miss Phillips said she went back to hospital the following day to get checked out after sending her mum a photo of her sloping mouth.

She was told her injuries “were either caused by lack of oxygen or nerve damage”.

But she said after trying to raise the incident with company director Jason Pearce, he joked with Mr Webb saying: “All right buddy? Hear you’ve been choking girls lately’.”

Miss Phillips later spoke to another director Huw Davies.

But she told him she did not want anything to happen because she was buying a house - and needed secure employment.

Miss Phillips said: “After this one chat the whole incident seemed to be completely forgotten about by everyone, except for me.

“I was never asked if I was comfortable, how my medical condition was, nothing.”

On March 19 Miss Phillips went to police and Mr Webb was arrested on May 8.

She also told her bosses she was submitting a personal injury claim.

Miss Phillips said: “My opinion of Nathan changed and I realised he is a violent, nasty guy and that it was only a matter of time before another incident happened.

“Around the end of March I was in tears to Huw telling him that I just didn’t feel comfortable in work anymore but I was given the same response over and over, that he couldn’t ‘wave a magic wand and fix everything’."

The employment tribunal hearing in Cardiff Magistrates heard Miss Phillips resigned on May 16.

She said: “I had been assaulted by a colleague. When I tried to raise it with my employer they dismissed my complaints out of hand."

In a statement Mr Davies said: “At every stage we met with Molly and asked her what she wanted us to do.

"However, Molly was insistent that she didn’t want us to take any action against Nathan.

“Everything we did or didn’t do was with Molly’s complete agreement.”

Mr Webb remains employed as a chef at Cameo Club, the tribunal heard.

Judge Alison Frazer reserved judgement to make her findings.