Australian judge refuses to accept that breaking wind is workplace bullying

David Hingst, a contract administrator from Melbourne, accused his supervisor, Greg Short, of ongoing unsolicited passing of wind

A judge in Australia has thrown out a $2million case against a construction boss dubbed Mr Stinky for 'lifting his bum and breaking wind' on staff. The court ruled that farting isn't workplace bullying.

Mr Short, defending himself, denied purposely passing wind towards his colleague, admitting he felt 'embarrassed' he may have accidentally done it 'once or twice'.



Former colleague, Philip Hamilton, remembered his boss's frequent flatulence while in the presence of Mr Hingst from mid-2008 to 2009. However, he labeled it 'typical banter or mucking around'.

He added that cultural differences were to blame for the offence taken by Mr Hingst, who was of German descent.

After the 18-day trial, which involved more than a dozen witnesses, Justice Zammit ruled Mr Short's flatulence was 'an offence that has its origins in cultural difference.'