The Suffolk Hyde Affair - Doc 98 Suffolk Day Crewing

Events 13th April 1999

Suffolk County Council County Hall

St Helen Court Ipswich Suffolk

The SubO X Prosecution hearing was entering into the second day and set to reconvene at 09.30 hrs.

SubO X and Firefighter M. Hyde were in attendance at County Hall at about 09.00 hrs. The latter’s presence was to assist SubO X’s defence team, Thompson’s solicitor Mr Craig Jones and barrister Mr Gary Morton.

The defence team were in conference on the ground floor in a ante-room at County Hall at approximately 09.05- 09.30 hrs. At about 09.15 hrs there was a muffled knock on the door. As the knock was such a weak affair nobody in the ante-room responded. However, the knocker on the other side must have eventually got fed up with waiting and opened to door to reveal himself. Still not really being taken notice of he summoned up a few coughs until one of the defence team said, ‘this is private what are you doing in here.’ It was Divisional Officer Robert Middleton who had a brown A4 envelope in his hand. Sorry, to interrupt but I need to see Mr Hyde to serve him discipline charge sheets and associated papers.

When asked who asked given him the authority to enter the defence team private area he said he was just following ACFO Seager’s instructions. And that, ‘don’t shoot me I am only the postman.’ Indeed another popular metaphor often employed by Fire Service Discipline prosecution service agents.

Whatever the conference was abruptly brought to a halt and stalled until Divisional Officer Bob Middleton had completed his service of charges on Firefighter Hyde.