Stairway to Seven.

Tracking the elusive Level 7 Diploma claims.

One of the more interesting asides from last week’s Coroner’s Inquest was the claim that could well send WMFS staff and one infamous alumnus to jail. Of course, it is the claimed, elusive Level 7 Diploma (see the penultimate entry below.)

Now, the Coroner was interpreted by members of the press as having accepted that Sahota telling her that Joanne Bowcock told him that a mystery Officer told her that they’d vouch for Wayne Brown being on a Level 7 Diploma course with him/her. Hardly scientific and certainly wouldn’t trouble any of the scriptwriters for whichever incarnation of CSI is currently rotating on the television.

Sahota’s testimony still bothers me. A classic example of a man ‘testiculating.’

Joining the dots.

ILM (Institute of Leadership and Management) offer qualifications through various providers, but the common denominator is the Awarding Body, City and Guilds. In short, had Brown got the claimed Level 7 Diploma, C&G would have been able to confirm it. They couldn’t and haven’t to date.

What they did confirm was the following;

We can confirm in 2015 City & Guilds offered an ILM L7 Diploma called ‘Leadership and Management’

Compare that to Brown’s Linkedin credential,

‘Diploma in Executive Leadership and Strategic Management.’

Just adding in those buzzwords required for UKFRS Principal Officer posts?

Now, this may appear to be semantics, but the fact is that there is NOT a Level 7 qualification named in the way that Brown claims, no Executive, no Strategic. This waves a giant red flag. Add to that that City & Guilds cannot confirm that Brown had any Level 7 Diploma and that flag flutters uncontrollably in a force 7 gale, powered by the hot air emananting from Fire Service HQ.

In short, nobody has seen the elusive parchment, it is named as a qualification that doesn’t exist on Brown’s own Linkedin and he has a history of lying about his credentials, a CV riddled with lies about ranks held, dates held, exams passed.

I think most Firefighters would eat their shoe like Charlie Chaplin in “the Gold Rush” if Brown actually had attained a pukka L7 Diploma.

Farewell my lovelies.

Well, what sort of penalties can arise for perjury and misleading a Coroner’s Inquiry? Allow me to refer to our friends in the Sentencing Council. As always, the framework is provided to Judges by evaluating the culpability versus the harm caused. I beg your indulgence in allowing me to inform you further.

Avoiding the obvious puns and slurs about mental disorders at Fire Service HQs, I think we can all agree that the fact Sahota and Bowcock (as Acting CFO) were both in public office roles, as statutory officer (monitoring) and head of paid services, this clearly constitutes a breach of trust or abuse of position. Category A Culpability.

The harm is slightly more subjective. Misleading a Coroner’s Inquest could be considered to be a serious impact upon the administration of justice as per category 1 as it prevents Brown’s relatives from getting the truth and the only genuine closure. Or it could be looked on as having some impact and being category 2.

We are looking at Category A culpability and Category 1 or 2 Harm. Left hand column “A” below” and top 2 categories. A1- 2-7 years inside. A2- 1-4 years inside.

I’d suggest that as the offences are complete, on record and being investigated, that once confirmed, these satisfy the CPS full code test for charging and prosecutions will follow. Now remember that there are mitigating and aggravating factors too which can affect sentences.

An early guilty plea can reduce a sentence by one third, a first conviction may also sway a congenial judge towards some leniency. However, there are also aggravating factors. Sahota, as a qualified solicitor and ‘Officer of the Court’ is intimately aware of the legal system and why the courts are held in sanctity. In short, there is no excuse for not knowing better and this would be held against him.

Joanne Bowcock, by not attending the Inquest, perhaps thought she was being smart by only submitting statement in writing and not being present for questioning. However, a sworn statement of truth, like a MG11 is a document that is signed in full awareness that false information will be taken as perjury. Of course, if she actually had the Law degree she claimed, she may have realised that.

Rich Girl

As written in the lyrics of Daryl Hall (who I saw in concert last week) and as he performed originally with John Oates,

“it’s so easy…. to hurt others when you can’t feel pain.”

It is perhaps time that those who’ve hurt so many others to feel the pain of the consequences of their own actions and take some time for ‘executive reflection’ at His Majesty’s Pleasure.

And this record still sounds good today… until next time!