Firefighter who took own life 'was not harassed'

Jaden Francois-Esprit died by suicide in August 2020

An investigation into the death of a firefighter who took his own life has found no evidence of direct discrimination, bullying or harassment by his colleagues.

Jaden Francois-Esprit, 21, a firefighter at Wembley fire station, died at his home in Brewhouse Lane, Wapping, east London, in late August 2020.

His family feared he had been bullied by London Fire Brigade (LFB) colleagues because of his race but an independent review found no evidence that was the case.

However, Andy Roe, the LFB commissioner, said the organisation had "failed" Mr Francois-Esprit.

It had been alleged that Mr Francois-Esprit had been unfairly singled out, teased about Caribbean food in his packed lunches and exposed to a toxic working environment, but none of these were upheld in the report, which took a year to complete.

The report found that the dyslexic junior firefighter had not been provided with a locker when he started and his bed, used to rest on night shifts, was in a poor state but neither matters were unique to him.

'No detriment intended'

Investigators said it was possible that the "cumulative lack of confidence, not least when speaking to an audience, Jaden's working conditions with an initial lack of locker provision, the inadequacy of beds and consequent sleep issues" could have had a "disproportionate effect" on him due to his neurodiversity.

"Most of these issues were working conditions for all firefighters serving at the fire station and were not designed or intended to cause Jaden any detriment," the report said.

"It is understandable that a man aged 20 might find the working conditions to be not what he had expected.

"It is also possible that what experienced firefighters saw as 'team building' or development activities were not perceived as such by someone who was neurodiverse."

Commissioner Andy Roe said he felt London Fire Brigade had "failed" Mr Francois-Esprit

It comes after an independent culture review of LFB released in November 2022 found the organisation to be institutionally misogynist and racist in the wake of Mr Francois-Esprit's death.

At an inquest into Mr Francois-Esprit's death in February 2021, his mother Linda Francois said her son was being "unfavourably singled out because he was an ethnic minority" and that he had told her his "crew manager" was bullying him.

A conclusion of suicide was recorded at the inquest.

Fire commissioner Andy Roe told a media briefing at City Hall on Tuesday morning: "I want to be clear (the findings) do not mean Jaden's personal lived experience at the brigade was not a factor in his untimely death.

"I personally believe we failed Jaden as an organisation because the report's findings do indicate failings in our day-to-day protocols, approaches and systems as they were at that time."