A CHEF to the stars who subjected a waitress to a prolonged campaign of sexual harassment for which she was awarded £124,000 compensation was identified yesterday as Alberico Penati.

Mr Penati, 52, chef at Harry’s Bar, the exclusive members’ club in Mayfair, Central London, constantly referred to Ilaria Signoriello in “crude sexual terms” during a 15-month period in which he became increasingly aggressive.

Ms Signoriello, 26, described Mr Penati as “extremely frightening and intimidating”, his kitchen as a place where bullying was rife and where he would wander round dressed only in his underpants.

The kitchen of Harry’s Bar, where Mr Penati cooked for a host of celebrity customers, including Madonna, Hugh Grant and Sir Elton John, was described as being “heavy with sexual overtones” by Gordon Etherington, chairman of Central London employment tribunal.

Mr Etherington also described Mr Penati as a bully with a greatly inflated sense of his own importance.

The waitress won her claim for sex discrimination and unfair dismissal and was awarded £124,000 compensation last month, but Ms Signoriello, Mr Penati and Harry’s Bar could be identified only yesterday after reporting restrictions covering the case were lifted.

A statement released by Ms Signoriello’s lawyer, Ann Bevington, said that she was pleased that the tribunal recognised “not only the seriousness of the harassment suffered by her but also the bullying and humiliating atmosphere within the kitchen at Harry’s Bar which affected others in addition to Ms Signoriello”.

Ms Signoriello called for changes at Harry’s Bar and said she hoped that “a working environment will be established in which all employees are treated with dignity and respect”.

She had told the tribunal that Mr Penati would never refer to her by name but would call her names using Italian sexual slang. She said that she became afraid for her health when, after 15 months at the restaurant, he assaulted her at the foot of stairs outside the premises.

In her witness statement she said: “Suddenly he grabbed me around my shoulders and pushed me against the wall. He started kissing me all over my neck, telling me that I looked erotic when I was crying. I was shocked.

“He then forced his finger into my mouth to stop me shouting and pushed me against the wall. He carried on kissing my neck and telling me how erotic I was and then I left. I could not understand what was happening. By this stage I was not only worried about losing my job . . . I was also scared for my personal safety. He spoke aggressively and talked about never surrendering ‘until I see the blood of my victim’.”

She said she thought no one would believe her because of the chef’s 20-year reputation at the restaurant so she decided to record two of their phone conversations.

Ms Signoriello, who was working to support herself through university, returned to Italy where she subsequently suffered from depression and anxiety.

She said: “I now see men completely differently. I cannot imagine being in a relationship again. I have become very isolated and spend a lot of time on my own.”

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