Ex-fire crew manager admits to racial abuse

A FORMER fire crew manager who hurled racial slurs at a colleague in a work WhatsApp group was told by a judge: “You ought to hang your head in shame.”

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

Stephen Suggitt, 52, was manager of “green watch” at Thornaby Fire Station when he made the abusive comments over the messaging platform. He subjected a colleague, who had joined the team as a probationary firefighter in 2019, to racial slurs and offensive comments, name-calling and emojis on the watch’s What-sApp group, Teesside Crown Court heard on Friday.

A judge told Suggitt his behaviour could not be defended or condoned, saying: “It's utterly outrageous over a prolonged period of time. Wholly unwarranted, wholly unjustified, cruel, bullying, abusive and nasty.”

The abuse had a significant impact on the victim, who eventually found his position with Cleveland Fire Brigade “untenable”.

Prosecutor Mahdev Sachdev detailed messages sent by Suggitt to the group in 2021, including offensive racist and ableist terms.

Mr Sachdev said the victim told of the situation but nothing was done. An internal investigation was later launched as the messages came to light. The investigation found Suggitt would have been dismissed for gross misconduct, said the judge, if he had not already resigned while suspended from work.

Suggitt, of Brook Lane, Ainthorpe, Whitby, initially claimed to have a good relationship with the victim and said the messages were part of “fun nicknames”. He later pleaded guilty to racially aggravated harassment after the start of a trial, his first conviction.