The Suffolk Hyde Affair - Doc 5 Suffolk Fire and Rescue IFE branch

General Overview of Events December 1998

December the Month of Goodwill to all Man?

12th December
Y corresponds in writing with ACFO Kenneth Seager (now DCFO). At this time ACFO Kenneth Seager was the responsible officer for Suffolk Fire Service discipline investigations and prosecutions. The purpose for Y writing to the prosecution officer was to obtain the disclosure of evidence required to defend Sub Officer X. The latter was the subject of three discipline prosecutions by on by ACFO K Seager. This was the fourth request for the disclosure of the required defence evidence. Preceding the intervention by Y, the disclosure had been requested by X on two occasions (9th November 1998 & 30th November 1998) and once by Sub Officer Kieron Davey (circa 15th June 1998). The letter sent by Y is doc 6 in the Suffolk Hyde Affair series

15th December
Y receives a reply to the letter 12th December sent to ACFO Kenneth Seager. See doc 7

Mid December
Fire-fighter Dave Kemp makes a telephone call to Lowestoft station whilst Blue watch are on duty. The purpose of the call was to enquire about the temporary Leading fire-fighter vacancy on blue watch, which he had been asked to undertake ! It later transpired that a Suffolk fire officer had left him a message on his telephone answering machine with the offer of temporary promotion to LFf at Lowestoft. He was had been led to believe that the role was currently vacant, and that blue watch were desperate for an individual to undertake the role. Curious as to the urgency of the situation, and instead of liasing this matter through his station line manager, he made contact with Lowestoft blue watch himself. Get the information straight from the horse’s mouth I suppose.

It is unclear to who Dave Kemp spoke. However, the substance of the inquiry was relayed to Y. Generally, the inquiry consisted of Dave Kemp asking who he would be filling in for, for how long, and why nobody on the watch was covering the position. In reply he was informed that Y was already carrying out the temporary LFf role and that there was no desperation for a replacement. Having learnt that Y was already incumbent, and through being misled Dave Kemp declined the offer to replace Y as LFf at Lowestoft. At no time had ADO G Saward the Lowestoft commander consulted Y as to the possibility he would step down from Temporary LFf before the intervention of Dave Kemp.

17th December
Y telephones Suffolk Employee Relations Manager Mr Dave Morgan (now retired – currently pensioner representative to Suffolk County Pension Fund). Mr Dave Morgan assumed the responsibility for the arrangements of X’s discipline prosecution. Y contacted Mr Morgan to inform him that ACFO Kenneth Seager was refusing to provide disclosure of evidence and in Abuse of Authority. Mr Morgan instructed Y to send him a fax of his most recent request for disclosure. See doc 8.

18th December
A day after Y made a formal complaint of Abuse of Authority to Mr Dave Morgan, ACFO Kenneth Seager writes to Y in respect of disclosure. See doc 9.

29th December
ACFO Kenneth Seager writes to Y with regard to further disclosure of evidence in defence of X. see doc 10.

29th December
Suffolk Fire Service personnel manager Sarah Davies (now personnel manager/director? at Suffolk College) writes to Y, re further disclosure of evidence in defence of X. See doc 11

30th December
Y writes to ACFO Kenneth Seager. See doc 12

31st December
Y writes to ACFO Kenneth Seager. See doc 13