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Latest news ... 23rd April 2015 from Admin

The law should be applied equally to all, regardless of rank and fortune   

Major John Chetty
Major John Chetty, found guilty of deliberately conspiring to cover up a bullying complaint of a triple amputee, Tom Neathway by a service redress panel made up of Three Brigadiers and one civil servant.
Chetty was seen on forces TV last night (23rd April 2015)  enjoying a night of boxing in the US. Still holding the rank of major and commanding a company within 3 Para despite the seriousness of the allegations he was found guilty off!
He has received nothing in the form of any administrative action as the MOD had promised.
Not even a harsh chat with the CO.
For a crime which would have seen a custodial sentence handed out to a soldier or civilian if they had been found guilty of witness intimidation and perverting the course of justice.
His integrity was proved to be hugely lacking and his handling and judgment massively criticised by the Army Board.
This handling was mentioned in parliament, publicly naming Major John Chetty and Brigadier Bibby for their respective failings during a live commons debate on the failings of the service redress and lessons learned.
(See House of Commons debate 02 Feb 2015.)
Ex WO2 Alistair Hutchesion was allowed to leave the Army without a blemish on his record and has subsequently vanished of the face of the earth!
So much for the Army's Zero tolerance to bullying and making an example!

 

Latest news ... 25th October 2014 from Admin

Hello everyone,

Thank you *so* much for your support to date - it means a huge amount to Tom. As you know, after over three years of appalling treatment, including being bullied out of the career he loved, he has finally been vindicated, but the fight isn't quite over yet. Tom wants to do two things, and he needs *your* help:

1. Ensure that this can't be done to anyone else in the future. To do this requires a fully-independent complaints system, something the MOD has been fighting tooth and nail for decades.

2. Punishment for those in the chain of command responsible for Tom's treatment. At the moment, Tom has had an apology, but nothing has happened to those responsible. This sends a terrible message: if you bully and harass soldiers, and cover-up their complaints, the Army chain of command will close ranks and protect you (particularly if you're a Major or Brigadier).

Here's where *you* can make a difference, ask them to ask Parliamentary Questions, and to write to the MOD, on the points in order to create a long-term record in Hansard, to force ministers to commit personally and in detail to handling the case properly). We've prepared a draft email, which includes details of how to find your MP's name and email address.

You can find your MP's details here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/

Bullying in the British Army - the case study of Tom Neathway, the disabled Afghanistan veteran bullied out of the Army by his superiors

Dear, [Name of your MP here]

In 2011, Tom Neathway, a Parachute Regiment Corporal who had lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan, became the target of a persistent course of conduct of abuse and harassment by the Army chain of command. Ultimately he was driven to submit a complaint under the British Army's bullying and harassment procedures. This triggered victimisation by other senior officers in his chain of command, and an escalation which culminated in him being bullied out of the Army. The Army stalled and blocked his complaint for three years, and made numerous attempts to cover it up.

Only because Tom was exceptionally determined, and because of support from unusually experienced friends and colleagues, was he able to pursue it.

Earlier this year, the Army were forced to allow Tom to have an Oral hearing in to his treatment, and to allow him legal representation. Under cross examination, the behaviour of the Army chain of command was exposed, and the Army had no option but to admit their guilt.

Tom's case isn't over, though. First, it remains a microcosm of the MOD's wider refusal to introduce fully-independent systems which can tackle bullying and harassment by the chain of command itself and second, the perpetrator's of Tom's treatment have yet to be punished (some have been allowed to resign, others the Army claims to be considering how to deal with).

Appropriate and fair punishment of Tom's tormentors. The perpetrator's of Tom's treatment have yet to be punished. One, Regimental Sergeant Major Alistair Hutcheson, has been allowed to retire, unpunished, with full pension, and Three others, Major John Chetty, Major James Chiswell and Brigadier Greville Bibby, are currently the subject of a separate investigatory process (Brig Bibby has recently resigned, Major James Chiswell was suspended from the Neathway investigation process in 2012 for attempting to influence the outcome of an investigation, by victimising witnesses.

The Army does not hesitate to sack soldiers and take their pensions for even minor misconduct.
At present, I consider that the four individuals most culpable for Tom Neathway's immediate treatment, and the abuse and corruption that followed are being protected by the Army. We believe that if soldiers are sacked from the army, for minor offences, then the persistent, deliberate bullying and harassment of a wounded war hero, and attempts to cover it up, and attempts to discredit witnesses reputations with lies, deserve no less. Not for vengeance, but for accountability, to ensure that others, looking on, realise that actions have consequences. Please help us to prevent the next Tom Neathway!

Please ask Anna Soubry, publicly in PQs and privately in correspondence, to ensure that Regimental Sergeant Major Alistair Hutcheson, Major John Chetty Major James Chiswell and Brigadier Greville Bibby are publicly investigated, and that their culpability and punishment is announced widely. We believe that only the most severe punishment, including dishonourable discharge and loss of pensions, will send an effective message to stamp out such behavior.

Thank you in advance for your assistance - it is times like this that the crucial importance of MPs in the democratic process is demonstrated, and I am grateful for your efforts.

Regards,

Tom Neathway

Lance-Corporal Tom Neathway

One of the Army’s most severely injured Afghanistan war veterans this week proved that senior officers bullied him out of the forces. Tom Neathway, who lost his legs and an arm in a Taliban bomb blast, also alleges that chiefs tried to cover up his claims, and attempted to discredit his witnesses. Tom, 30, who served in the Parachute Regiment for 13 years, said: “I wanted it dealt with in the early stages but individuals tried to cover it all up.

“I want them punished. If I win compensation then it will go to charity.

Sgt Major Alistair Hutcheson found guilty

Sgt Major Alistair Hutcheson

Hutcheson flooded him with calls and told him to wear a uniform on base, even though he could not because of his prosthetics. He even whispered: “You’re not much of a paratrooper any-more.” Tom, of 2 Para, complained, but was then kicked out of RAF Brize Norton by Major John Chetty – even though he had special quarters that cost £165,000. He was sent to Colchester, Essex, where he had to crawl 100m from his room for a shower. He thinks it was a bid by Chetty and Hutcheson to close ranks against him. He said tonight: “I don’t blame the Army, but I should still be in. I was forced out because I stood up to bullies.”

This abuse included getting staff to make excessive numbers of telephone calls to the disabled soldier asking where he was, and making unreasonable demands that he should wear military uniform which he found difficult due to his artificial limbs.

The Mail on Sunday also revealed that in 1991 Hutcheson was fined £500 by the Army for physically abusing a recruit in Aldershot. Hutcheson transferred to Deepcut in September 2013.

A source said: ‘Many officers and soldiers at Deepcut had no idea about what Hutcheson had done in his past. They were very angry with the Army’s chain of command for not informing them.’


Tom Neathway, 30, a paratrooper who lost both legs and an arm in a Taliban bomb blast, will claim at a closed-door hearing that he was bullied by his regimental sergeant major and that a Parachute Regiment officer then attempted to “block” him from lodging a complaint. The former corporal, who was once an army success story because of his desire to continue serving even after being wounded in Afghanistan in 2008, also alleges that attempts were made to discredit his witnesses. “The way that these individuals have closed ranks, it’s ridiculous and they think they can get away with it,” claimed Mr Neathway, from Worcester, who starred in the BBC series Wounded and took part in the Olympic torch relay in 2012. The allegations, which will be made at a three-day hearing in Andover, are among the most serious in a series of alleged abuse cases reported by The Times over the past 18 months that raise questions about the unique power held by the army to investigate itself. Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, has announced plans to toughen up the service complaints system but critics say that the reforms are far too little and will not come into effect unless new legislation is draw up. “Tom’s treatment shows that soldiers are bullied, blocked from complaining, and punished if they dare rock the boat by doing so,” said Major Ross McLeod, who left the army earlier this year and has been offering Mr Neathway advice. Mr Neathway has spoken out before about the alleged bullying by Warrant Officer 1 Alistair Hutcheson. But tomorrow will be the first time he gives oral evidence. The most damning allegation — denied by the sergeant major — is that RSM Hutcheson whispered in the amputee’s ear when they worked together at a parachute training unit in Oxfordshire in 2011: “You’re not much of a paratrooper anymore, are you”. Mr Neathway also accuses Major John Chetty, his former boss, of attempting to block him from lodging a complaint about the alleged bullying and of threatening to move him from specially-adapted facilities for wounded personnel at RAF Brize Norton back to Colchester if he complained. “My first question will be why?” the injured soldier told The Times yesterday. “Why wasn’t it [the complaint] investigated properly to begin with?” In a complex case that has dragged on for almost three years, there are also allegations of “witness victimisation”. A letter emerged during the investigation that appears to show evidence of one individual using unofficial channels to try to help another. The “personal letter” from Major James Chiswell, himself a former non-commissioned officer in the Parachute Regiment, who was assisting RSM Hutcheson, was addressed to Lieutenant-Colonel James Birch, the investigating officer. It appears to offer a negative opinion on staff at the parachute training support unit where the witnesses, Mr Neathway, RSM Hutcheson and Major Chetty worked. The Times understands that Major Chiswell was later removed from assisting RSM Hutcheson. In November 2012, Lieutenant-Colonel Birch partly upheld the alleged bullying complaint against RSM Hutcheson, although he did not find that he had made the mocking “you’re not much of a paratrooper” remark — a finding that will be challenged at the hearing. One of the witnesses, Glanville Evans, was once the Prince of Wales’s parachute instructor. He wrote to David Cameron, his local MP, claiming that his character was allegedly criticised by another senior officer, Brigadier Greville Bibby, who overturned Colonel Birch’s decision. Major Chiswell will appear at the hearing, but Brigadier Bibby will not be present despite requests by Mr Neathway ‘s lawyers that he should attend. A spokeswoman for the MoD said it was not possible to comment on individual cases or to seek comment from individuals involved."

Brigadier Greville Bibby

Brigadier Greville Bibby

 

Tom

 

Lost limbs:
Triple amputee Tom was injured in a Taliban bomb blast in 2008

Tom, of Crowle, Worcs, says he was later forced to move to the base in Colchester, Essex, where the facilities were unsuitable for his injuries. He left the Army last year and retrained as a gamekeeper. The behind-closed-doors hearing at British Army HQ in Andover, Hants, will be presided over by two brigadiers and a civilian.

Former Army major Ross McLeod, who has advised Tom, has hit out at the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond for not ordering an independent hearing. The war veteran said: “Tom has been bullied and blackmailed by the Army chain of command. The Army is able to mark its own homework.

"Soldiers are frightened to speak out – Tom’s case shows why.”

The Ministry of Defence said: “We owe our servicemen and women a huge debt of gratitude especially those, like Corporal Neathway, who have been injured as a result of their service. "We cannot comment on individual service complaints but all personnel should rightly expect to be treated fairly. All commanding officers are made aware of their responsibility to protect personnel from harassment.

“All claims of bullying or harassment are taken extremely seriously and allegations are investigated fully.”

\\\ Bollocks ///

Rogues gallery ... Brigadier Greville Bibby - John Chetty - James Chiswell - Alistair Hutcheson

John Chetty

John Chetty

James Chiswell

James Chiswell

Brigadier Greville Bibby

Brigadier Greville Bibby

Sgt Major Alistair Hutcheson

Alistair Hutcheson
   
   
   

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