text: The BBC has refused to hand over the emails of a deceased woman to her grieving husband, who believes they will prove she was ‘bullied’ by the Corporation’s management towards the end of her life. Mother-of-two Marie Csaszar, 45, died last September following a ten-year battle with a brain tumour. She had worked for seven years at the BBC’s financial centre in Cardiff as a contracts manager, but according to her husband Paul, she was forced out of the post into another job after drawing attention to management blunders which he says cost licence-fee payers about £150,000. Whistleblower: Marie Csaszar died after a 10-year battle with a brain tumour. Her widower has had a request for her work emails, which he believes will show she was being bullied by bosses, refused by the BBC . Legal experts described the case as ‘highly unusual’, but predicted that it could be followed by similar claims as digital documents such as emails and social media posts play an increasingly important part in people’s lives. Facebook users in the US have the chance to designate a ‘legacy contact’ who can take over parts of their account after their death. Mr Csaszar says he believes the BBC failed in its duty of care to his late wife, and the treatment she received from management affected her health. He asked the BBC under the Data Protection Act for copies of his wife’s emails, in the hope they will provide evidence of her ‘appalling’ treatment by the Corporation, which he has spent months pursuing. However, he was told last month by the BBC that under the Act, personal data is defined as only ‘data which relates to a living individual’. Despite Mr Csaszar being his wife’s legal next of kin, an email from the BBC – seen by The Mail on Sunday – read: ‘Unfortunately as your wife has sadly passed away it is not possible for you to exercise the right to access her personal data under the Data Protection Act.’ Mr Csaszar said his wife gave evidence to the BBC’s 2013 Respect At Work review that was set up to look into sexism and bullying following the Jimmy Savile scandal. He said it was her evidence which led the chairwoman, Dinah Rose QC, to conclude some senior Corporation staff were viewed as ‘untouchable’. Details of the individuals who were the subject of Mr Csaszar’s complaint cannot be published for legal reasons but they involve at least one senior manager on a six-figure salary. Last night, self-employed businessman Mr Csaszar, 48, said: ‘Marie was being hammered from one side to the other towards the end of her life. Nobody stood up and objected. Locked out: The BBC has refused to hand over the work emails of Marie Csaszar to her widower Paul . ‘The treatment which Marie experienced at the hands of the BBC affected her recovery. She was constantly upset and left in tears, saying, “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve being treated like this.” ‘They didn’t want Marie on the staff because she knew too much about what had gone on. ‘She would refuse to sign off certain contracts because they didn’t show value for money, but they were signed off anyway. This caused her a great deal of stress.’ Mrs Csaszar underwent intensive treatment for her cancer over several years, which left her suffering with epilepsy. However, she continued to work in her £50,000-a-year post, and raised serious concerns that could have saved licence-fee payers’ money, her husband claims. In a formal grievance procedure with the BBC in 2013, Mrs Csaszar raised a complaint about the closure of a cash office run by an outside contractor. She was advised by the BBC’s legal department that the Corporation was not liable under its contract to pay any money towards redundancy for staff employed by the contractors. But she told her husband that about £35,000 was paid out anyway. Mr Csaszar says he is desperate to see emails referring to his wife and how she was treated following her whistleblowing. He contacted the Information Commissioner’s Office, only to be told that the release of the documents was ‘at the discretion’ of the BBC. Mr Csaszar has raised his request with the BBC Trust, the Corporation’s watchdog, and is considering legal action. A BBC spokesman said: ‘We were very sorry to hear of Ms Csaszar’s death. A thorough investigation was carried out into her complaint and the outcome was provided to her in July 2013. We have provided this response to her husband. Ms Csaszar then attended work from October 2013 to May 2014 and did not raise a further appeal to her complaint.’
target: Mother-of-two died following a 10-year battle with a brain tumour .
  She worked at BBC in Cardiff where husband claims she was bullied .
  Marie Csaszar gave evidence at BBC’s 2013 Respect At Work review .
  He asked for emails under the Data Protection Act but was refused .