** Army chiefs apologise to bullied soldier Tom Neathway ** Will Humphries and Deborah Haynes, Defence Editor, October 7 2014 A horrifically wounded paratrooper who was bullied out of the army said he hoped other victims of abuse would find the courage to speak out after he won a rare apology from commanders. Tom Neathway, 30, who lost both legs and an arm in a Taliban bomb blast in Afghanistan, was bullied on his return to work by his regimental sergeant major who told him: “You’re not much of a paratrooper any more.” The former corporal was forced to crawl along a corridor in front of other soldiers to shower because officers moved him out of modified accommodation after he lodged a formal complaint about the abuse. Details of Mr Neathway’s three-year battle for justice can be revealed for the first time after a closed-doors hearing into his plight. The service complaint panel found that he was failed by his chain of command; was treated unfairly after lodging a service complaint; and senior officers appeared as concerned about avoiding adverse media attention about his treatment as with doing the right thing by him. The panel, comprising two brigadiers and a civilian, concluded that Mr Neathway was bullied by Warrant Officer Class One Alistair Hutcheson and failed by Major John Chetty, his commanding officer. “We apologise to Corporal Neathway for the distress caused to him by [RSM Hutcheson’s] unacceptable conduct,” a report released by the panel said. Senior officers should consider taking administrative action against both men, it recommended. Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Jackson was also found to have exercised “poor judgment”. He appointed Major Chetty to assist RSM Hutcheson during an investigation of the bullying complaint even though Major Chetty was in charge of the alleged bully and his victim. The panel also awarded Mr Neathway £12,300 to cover his legal costs. Mr Neathway, of Worcester, who was medically discharged last year, said there was a “culture of bullying” in the army. “Unless people stand up to it nothing will ever change,” he said. Mr Neathway was regarded as a success story when he returned to work in 2009 after being blown up in Helmand in July 2008. He was posted to the parachute training support unit at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire. RSM Hutcheson joined the team the following year and the bullying began. He ordered staff to call Mr Neathway at all hours, even when he was off duty — action the panel deemed “unreasonable and oppressive”. The panel rejected allegations that RSM Hutcheson tried to shift the blame for mistakes he had made on to Mr Neathway. They also ruled that he had not wronged the corporal when Mr Neathway’s job title was changed to “clerk” from “storekeeper”. The change in job description was a psychological blow to the soldier because being a clerk meant he was no longer a paratrooper — a core part of his identity. The panel also reversed the decision of a previous internal investigation into Mr Neathway’s complaint and concluded that RSM Hutcheson had told the corporal, following the change to his job title: “You’re not much of a paratrooper any more.” RSM Hutcheson denied saying these words. “We conclude that the respondent had lied to us in oral evidence,” the report said. The panel found Major Chetty made a “serious error of judgment which constituted a professional failing” in his handling of the initial complaint by Mr Neathway. The officer had decided that Mr Neathway acted maliciously by accusing his boss of bullying. Major Chetty, who conducted an internal inquiry, found there was no case to answer. Mr Neathway was forced to leave his specially adapted facilities at RAF Brize Norton and return to the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment’s base at Colchester while a formal investigation was held. A spokesman for the army said: The [service complaint] panel, on behalf of the defence council, has formally apologised to ex-Corporal Neathway and has made recommendations for the chain of command to consider.”
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 08:16:14 +0000
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