Crew boss 'bullied' firefighter with racial abuse

Stephen Sluggitt was a watch manager at Thornaby Fire Station

A "bullying" crew manager who used "cruel and nasty" racial slurs against one of his firefighters has been ordered to pay his victim £500 compensation.

Stephen Suggitt, who managed the green watch at Thornaby for Cleveland Fire Brigade, sent multiple messages using racist language about a black colleague in a team WhatsApp group, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The victim said he was proud to be a firefighter but his position with Cleveland had become "untenable".

Suggitt, who would have been sacked had he not resigned, initially claimed the messages were a "fun" use of nicknames but admitted racially aggravated harassment. The 52-year-old from near Whitby must also complete 180 hours unpaid work.

'Nothing was done'

Suggitt, who had served in the Royal Navy before joining Cleveland Fire Brigade, was the victim's line manager, while the victim joined the service as a probationary firefighter in 2019, prosecutor Mahdev Singh Sachdev said.

Both men were part of a team WhatsApp group, the court heard.

Over a period of several months, Suggitt sent a series of messages in the group using racist words, emojis and pictures referring to the firefighter.

Separately, but on the same chat, he used highly offensive terms for disabled people, the court heard.

The victim said he complained to other managers but "nothing was done", with Suggitt then put in charge of overseeing the man's completion of various professional qualifications, prompting the victim to take stress-related leave, Mr Sachdev said.

An investigation was launched after another firefighter complained about the messages, the court heard.

Suggitt resigned when the probe began, but the fire service would otherwise have dismissed him for gross misconduct upon the conclusion of its investigation, Mr Sachdev said.

When he was interviewed by police, Suggitt said he had sent the messages "as part of fun nicknames" used by members of the group.

'Utterly outrageous'

In a statement read to the court, the victim said the brigade had "significantly let me down with their own policies and values", adding it made him feel "sad and angry" as he had "done nothing wrong" and was only trying to be a "good firefighter".

In mitigation, Christopher Morrison said firefighters did a "very stressful job under dangerous circumstances" and the messages demonstrated a "robust culture".

He said Suggitt, of Ainthorpe, near Whitby ,had dedicated his life to serving his country, first in the navy and then, in the Cleveland area, with the fire brigade.

Judge Richard Clews said Suggitt's conduct was "utterly outrageous" and "wholly unwarranted" and "unjustified".

'Beyond the pale'

He said the messages were "cruel, bullying, abusive and nasty" and "words and attitudes like this cut to the bone" with no place in a modern, civilised society.

The judge said the victim was in a "helpless" position and probably felt he had to "stand there and take the horrible abuse that was hurled at him" as, if he complained, Suggitt could stop the man progressing in his career.

Dismissing Suggitt's claims of a robust culture, the judge said just because the victim was doing a job that involved "bravery and physical strength", it did "not mean in any way" the victim should have been subject to such "unpleasant" abuse.

Judge Clews said Suggitt had demonstrated "racial and discriminatory attitudes" for the amusement of himself or others, adding: "It's not close-to-the-bone humour, it is way beyond the pale."

As well as a 12-month community order with the unpaid work, and the compensation, Suggitt was also ordered to pay £500 towards prosecution costs.

A spokesman for Cleveland Fire Brigade said it took "any form of discrimination, harassment, or offensive behaviour extremely seriously" with such conduct being "wholly unacceptable".

He added the service did "not comment on individual circumstances" and its focus "remains on working closely" with staff to "drive meaningful cultural change".