Stringer Court unfair dismissal case vs BBC ends

[Kilworthfox]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-69056071

 

Ex-BBC Leicester journalist Ian Stringer loses tribunal clam

 

Mr Stringer was hired by BBC Leicester in 2008 after he appeared on the BBC's show The Apprentice

 

A former BBC sports journalist who claimed he was unfairly dismissed for whistleblowing has lost an employment tribunal.

 

Ian Stringer was employed by BBC Leicester in 2008 after he appeared on the BBC's show The Apprentice.

A tribunal heard how he believed he was unfairly dismissed in 2022, for what the BBC said was misconduct.

 

Presiding judge Kimbra Welch has dismissed Mr Stringer's unfair dismissal claims in a written ruling.

Mr Stringer brought both an automatic unfair dismissal claim for whistleblowing and an ordinary unfair dismissal claim against the BBC.

 

The tribunal in Leicester heard that Mr Stringer, who became the station's Leicester City reporter, was suspended in September 2021 and sacked the following year.

 

He had been dismissed after bosses raised concerns about his use of social media and his failure to declare the "gift" of a car.

 

Mr Stringer argued that a BBC investigation was "defective" and that he had been "treated differently" to others - including former England footballer and BBC television presenter Gary Lineker.

The hearing was told Mr Stringer had, during the disciplinary process, compared his actions with those of Lineker, who, he said, had relationships with commercial entities outside the BBC.

 

Employment Judge Welch had explained in her ruling how Mr Stringer had complained to an area manager about an incident in July 2021.

 

He claimed his line manager had forced another journalist to break Covid rules "provided" by the BBC and the government.

Mr Stringer said his colleague had been told to "come in and present a show", despite having been in contact with someone with Covid.

 

Social media concerns
In the same month, an acting news editor had "raised concerns" regarding Mr Stringer's "use of Twitter"- particularly about him "endorsing commercial products and businesses".

The employment tribunal heard Mr Stringer was given impartiality training in 2013 and an anti-bribery course in 2020

The hearing was told how Mr Stringer had been given free use of a BMW 5 series and then an Audi A3 via a Leicester-based vehicle rental firm called Total Motion.

Judge Welch said the tribunal found that, as a result of "receiving them", Mr Stringer had posted tweets promoting the company and the cars.

 

Mr Stringer had been suspended pending investigations into allegations of a breach of BBC "editorial and impartiality" guidelines.

The BBC had carried out an investigation, the tribunal heard, and found more than 300 "shout outs" to companies or people who had "given their services" to Mr Stringer.

 

Judge Welch said the investigation had concluded that Mr Stringer should be given a "final written warning" in relation to his "abuse" of the BBC's "social media policy" and "dismissed on notice" as a result of failing to the declare the "gift of the Audi A3".

 

Mr Stringer had appealed but the "decision to dismiss" had been upheld.

The tribunal heard how he felt he was "treated differently and unfairly" compared to Lineker, and others, as part of his "detriment claim" for "having made protected disclosures" - whistleblowing.

Judge Welch said the tribunal found that Lineker - and others mentioned by Mr Stringer - were "not in comparable circumstances".

She said the tribunal also concluded that the reason for dismissal was "conduct" not whistleblowing.

The judge said the reason for the "decision to dismiss" was because bosses considered Mr Stringer had "committed gross misconduct" by accepting "gifts" of "expensive vehicles" without declaring them in accordance with BBC policies.

"We are satisfied that the reason for the claimant's dismissal was conduct and that the protected disclosures formed no part of the dismissing officer's reasons for dismissal," she added.

"We do not accept the claimant's assertion that the investigation was defective."

 

She said the tribunal found that "summary dismissal" was "within the range of reasonable responses" open to the BBC.

The judge said "all claims" were dismissed.

[Daggers]

[urban.spaceman]

@Ian Stringer

[Zear0]

Ooops. 

[Kilworthfox]

12 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

@Ian Stringer

I think he is already aware mate 👀

[MPH]

32 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

@Ian Stringer

 

 

I'm sure he's aware...

[Leicesterpool]

Sorry Stringy, hope we still hear him on air in another radio station. Maybe even LCFC podcast. 

[TiffToff88]

20 minutes ago, Leicesterpool said:

Sorry Stringy, hope we still hear him on air in another radio station. Maybe even LCFC podcast. 

Speak for yourself! I personally can't stand the bloke.

[Kilworthfox]

13 minutes ago, TiffToff88 said:

Speak for yourself! I personally can't stand the bloke.

He would be a better presenter if he explained events and facts as they occur, rather than making every broadcast about himself, and his inflated ego. 

[Parafox]

4 hours ago, Kilworthfox said:

He would be a better presenter if he explained events and facts as they occur, rather than making every broadcast about himself, and his inflated ego. 

 

This was obvious on The Apprentice. He was cringeworthy awful.

 

I only listened to his coverage of LCFC because there was no alternative. It wasn't easy.

 

Apart from my personal opinion of him, he's done wrong and committed dismissible offences contrary to BBC policies and got sacked. Maybe he thought he was above the BBC rules.

[Wymsey]

Didn't he do a cut-throat gesture to someone at LCFC once?..

[FoxesDeb]

I really really don't want to come across as the forum police, but can we all please just be aware that Ian might read the forum, and also that it has been well documented that his mental health isn't always in a great place? 

[CrazyKopCorner]

This is a real kick in the b@llocks for him - like or loathe I just hope it’s something he can come to terms with and come through 

[HybridFox]

I honesty never knew he was on The Apprentice  will have to find some footage

[ozleicester]

The coverage of these companies in the court case has well exceeded any benefits Stringer couldve promised

[Jon the Hat]

He isn't the first and won't be the last to fall foul of disclosure rules from his employer.  He might quite reasonably argue his profile came not just from being on the BBC, and that he had the right to work on promotional activities, however I guess BBC guidelines are no doubt very clear on the fact that you need to tell them about these activities.  Most employers require you to disclose other work which might impinge on your ability to carry out your job to the best of your abilities.

 

Still I am glad Ian is doing well at talksport and hope he can put this behind him.

[SpacedX]

Whatever people have said about Stringer over the years, you'll never take this away from him...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03hcq4t/player?height=450px

 

(Once in, click on the image to play)

Edited 25 May by SpacedX

[st albans fox]

18 hours ago, Leicesterpool said:

Sorry Stringy, hope we still hear him on air in another radio station. Maybe even LCFC podcast. 

He’s on talkSPORT reporting on games 

haven’t heard him getting any closer than that to any programmes. Maybe talkSPORT 2 will see him receive some exposure next season. 

[Paninistickers]

38 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

He’s on talkSPORT reporting on games 

haven’t heard him getting any closer than that to any programmes. Maybe talkSPORT 2 will see him receive some exposure next season. 

It does make you wonder how he will now make a living. It's not as if he's a trained broadcast journalist. He blagged it. 

[fox_up_north]

No idea he was on the Apprentice. I did a journalism degree and know far better qualified people who don't have a BBC regional gig covering their team. 

[SpacedX]

6 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

It does make you wonder how he will now make a living. It's not as if he's a trained broadcast journalist. He blagged it. 

Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be a barrier these days. 

[Paninistickers]

1 hour ago, SpacedX said:

Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be a barrier these days. 

Very true. However, you then need to rely on real talent. There's a million people who want to talk football for a living. The cream rises to the top. 

 

His best bet is probs a podcast / YouTube spouting nonsense 

[SpacedX]

48 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

There's a million people who want to talk football for a living. The cream rises to the top. 

 

[Daggers]

Garth Crooks - you don’t even need to be able to conjugate a sentence or know anything about the game to make it as a pundit. 
 

 

[Vacamion]

 

9 minutes ago, Daggers said:

Garth Crooks - you don’t even need to be able to conjugate a sentence or know anything about the game to make it as a pundit. 
 

 

 

Interested to see who would come off worse in a crap-off between Garth Crooks and Michael Owen, who came across as being as thick as week old porridge and wasn't too good at describing the game, either.