Firefighters cleared of manslaughter charges

Warwickshire’s Chief Fire Officer has spoken out about the decision to press criminal charges against firefighters who were cleared of the manslaughter of four colleagues in a fire in 2007.

Station Manager Timothy Woodward and Watch Manager Adrian Ashley were charged with manslaughter following the deaths of colleagues, Ashley Stephens, Darren Yates-Badley, John Averis and Ian Reid after they attended a huge at a warehouse blaze in Atherstone-on-Stour.

The prosecution accused Mr Woodward and Mr Ashley of being criminally responsible for the “needless” deaths of the four men.

Chief Fire Officer, Graeme Smith has condemned the treatment of Adrian Ashley, Paul Simmons and Timothy Woodward, saying he believes that they have been “treated like common criminals, and is calling for the Home office and the Ministry of Justice to carry out an investigation into why the prosecution was able to proceed.

Mr Smith said: “It is crystal clear that these cases should never have been brought to court in the first place. But today neither I nor any of my colleagues in the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service feel any sense of relief. Rather we feel a sense of sorrow and remembrance for the four brave firefighters who died at Atherstone-on-Stour in 2007.”

Both Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Chief Fire Officers Association will be writing to the Home Secretary and to the Justice Secretary to seek a formal investigation into the prosecution.

Mr Smith was also concerned about the “undue aggression” which was shown towards the firefighters during their time in police custody. He said: “The police investigation into this fire took a wrong turn very early on.The police treated decent fire officers like common criminals. The court heard they were locked up in the cells overnight and even had their shoelaces taken away from them. It has taken almost five years and five million pounds of public money to construct a flimsy case against these three men and when it was presented in court it simply fell apart.”

There were two independent reports into the blaze, one commissioned by the police and another commissioned by the Warwickshire Fire Service, which was seized by the police before Warwickshire Fire Service had a chance to consider it.

Two independent reports into the incident were carried out by the police and by Warwickshire Fire Service but were seized by the police before Warwickshire Fire Service had a chance to review them.

Mr Smith said: “Both of these reports contained safety critical information of vital importance to the safety of firefighters up and down the country. Neither of them was released to the fire service until May 2011 – an incredible three-and-a-half years after the fire. I am outraged that the secrecy surrounding these reports meant that firefighters remained at risk for so long.”

The firefighters were cleared of all charges by a jury at Stafford Crown Court. The union has said that it was absurd that the arsonists who started the fire have never faced trial for their crimes, yet those who risked their lives to put out the fire were ‘relentlessly pursued by police and prosecutors.’

Fire Brigade Union assistant general secretary, Andy Dark said: “This was the first time firefighters at an incident were accused of the manslaughter of their colleagues. This prosecution cast a shadow across the whole fire service and caused anger and concern. We are relieved at the not guilty verdicts but firefighters are furious at the police and prosecutors. The criminals who started the fire are still free, but those who tried to put the fire out were arrested, charged and brought to trial. The real criminals remain at large while innocent firefighters faced charges of killing their own colleagues. Police and prosecutors took the worse tragedy in the fire service for over forty years and turned it into a farce. There is still no justice for the families of the firefighters who died because the criminals who started the fire are still free. Many questions central to the safety of all firefighters remain unanswered. Every firefighter and officer at an incident does the best they can with the training, knowledge, equipment and personnel at the scene. Faced with an inferno they all do what they can, some of which is courageous and brave.”

Marcus Giles, Fire Brigade Union Warwickshire brigade secretary said: “Over £5 million of Warwickshire taxpayers’ money has been spent trying to jail firefighters for this tragedy. That money could have been invested in the service to deal with some of the lessons learned so that such a tragedy does not happen again. We are now working closely with the new management team in Warwickshire Fire Service to learn the lessons and improve safety for firefighters and the public. But there is no question some of our work has been delayed and hampered by the decision to prosecute those who tried their best to put the fire out.”