The Suffolk Hyde Affair - Doc 266 Beccles Fireman

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Suffolk County Council

Fire Service
A Wigglesworth
Lowestoft Fire Station
P.O. Box 54,
Lowestoft
Suffolk
NR32 2QA
GDS/SIS/DISC
DO G Smith
(01473) 588861
30th June 1999

Dear Mr Wigglesworth,


I have just returned from leave and acknowledge three letters from yourself dated 10th June 1999, 23rd June and 24th June 1999 respectively.

In the final paragraph of your letter dated 10th June 1999 you indicate you prefer your own record of proceedings at the hearing. For your information no verbatim recording is made at a summary hearing. Because there is no right of appeal to awards made at a summary hearing, there is no requirement for a record to be made. However, should you choose to be accompanied by an assistant, that person could, of course, make notes. For your information ADO Meelan will be my assistant for the hearing. I must point out though that the Presiding Officer will not allow proceedings to be interrupted by an individual attempting to maintain a verbatim record.

In respect of your letter dated 23rd June 1999 you request a copy of a written order dated 21st January 1999. If you check the transcript of the interview with Firefighter Hyde you will see it actually refers to a written order dated 20th January 1999. I assume this is the document you refer to and this was copied to Mr Hyde when he was served with the charge sheet. I can confirm that that document is a copy of the one in my possession and is unedited.

In response to your letter dated 24th June 1999 I would remind you that I wrote to you on 4th June 1999 stating in the final paragraph that the documents you refer to have been secured in my office. I also offered you the opportunity to request their return.


Yours sincerely



G D Smith
Divisional Officer