BRITISH PRISON WHISTLEBLOWER FINALLY VINDICATED

How disgraceful that it took an unfair dismissal tribunal to expose corruption. None of the supposed safeguards in the bureaucracy worked at all. It was a coverup all the way.

A prison service whistleblower who alleged a litany of abuse at a high-security jail is set to gain a six-figure sum in compensation after winning a claim for unfair dismissal. Carol Lingard, 37, saw her promising 15-year career as a prison officer destroyed when she reported claims of prisoners being bullied and intimidated at Wakefield prison in west Yorkshire. An employment tribunal earlier this year, where Lingard won her case, heard that colleagues treated her as 'a grass' and her managers failed to take her complaints seriously. Examining the two unsuccessful investigations into her claims, the tribunal heavily criticised the Prison Service management, including the former governor John Slater, the former deputy governor Colin Blakeman - now governor of Leeds prison - and the deputy director of the service, Peter Atherton.

Lingard has since received an apology from the director general of the Service, Phil Wheatley, who acknowledged that the organisation, its Professional Standards Unit (PSU) - established by new whistle-blowing legislation - and his deputy all failed to deal properly with her allegations.

Today, although she can toast her victory, Lingard is angry that she lost her job as a senior prison officer over her allegations - which have still not been fully investigated. 'I began losing my hair, large clumps of it,' she said. 'I've been out of work for two-and-a-half years and I am still taking medicine for anxiety. 'I don't think any prison employee today would go to the PSU with their concerns. I was consistently deemed the problem, all the way to top management.'

Lingard got her first job in the prison service aged 20, and after 10 years' service she was no stranger to the harsh realities of life behind bars when she joined Wakefield as a senior officer in January 1999. Wakefield has around 580 inmates, including Roy Whiting, the killer of eight-year-old Sarah Payne and Ian Huntley, who murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10.

In August 2002, when Lingard first made her allegations, she ran B-wing with 180 prisoners and 40 staff. 'My appraisals had been fantastic. I was the only senior officer picked for fast-track governor assessment,' she said. The tribunal heard that Lingard was vilified as a whistleblower after her string of allegations, which centred on one prison officer. She claimed the officer warned a sex offender he could get slashed by other inmates if he was found with images of children. Lingard alleged that the officer then attempted to have the material planted in the prisoner's cell. Tensions were running high against paedophiles at Wakefield after the murder of Holly and Jessica. Whiting had been attacked and there was more trouble brewing. Lingard alleged that the officer had forged another prisoner's records to show poor behaviour and that he was involved in a suspicious assault allegation against the same inmate. She claimed that the officer had performed Hitler salutes at the probation board of a German inmate. Lingard highlighted her concerns to her line managers. Within 48 hours, she said, 'word spread that I was "a grass" and suddenly I was discriminated against, intimidated and stonewalled. 'Work became a very hostile, unsafe environment. Backs literally turned whenever I entered a room or corridor and gates slammed in my face. I was made to feel as if I had done something dreadful, and that I was going to pay for it.' she said. 'I just couldn't carry on. I couldn't sleep or eat. I was 32 weeks pregnant, had previously suffered two miscarriages and I was losing weight.'

An initial investigation - later described as 'poor' and 'not professional' by the tribunal - found 'no evidence' to support Lingard's allegations. Despite approaching Slater, the prison governor, and the PSU - which briefly investigated her claims but failed to discover the truth - her complaint went no further. Demoralised, Lingard turned to her brother, John Sturzaker, a lawyer, for help. 'Carol was right to report the allegations but I was astonished that the matter had not been sorted out in 18 months and was appalled at how it was handled,' said Sturzaker.

In April 2004, Lingard brought a claim before the employment tribunal. She found out that Wakefield had taken steps to medically retire her. 'Their own doctor told them that my illness was caused by their actions,' she said angrily. The tribunal attacked the senior management at the prison and the service. Its judgment was peppered with damning judgments: 'startling and disturbing,' 'seriously flawed judgement,' 'collective failures,' 'beyond belief,' 'miscarriage of justice,' and 'serious misgivings'. 'Carol was a successful, highly regarded member of staff who made five serious allegations and was instantly regarded as the problem' said Sturzaker. 'A corporate inability to properly investigate and a contempt for those who are brave enough to report wrongdoing emerge from this judgement - she was failed all the way to the top.'

Report here


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