]It seems to me that Sytner have been let of the hook rather by the judgement, the coroner not holding them responsible on the basis that it was maybe not the only thing which drove the young man to kill himself, and because after the event the company has taken some action.
Quoting from the Guardian 'An Audi garage where an apprentice mechanic was bullied before he killed himself was not to blame for his death, a coroner has decided.
George Cheese’s coworkers at the Reading garage locked him in a cage, doused him in brake fluid and set his clothes set on fire, among other forms of abuse, an inquest into his death heard. One told him he should “hurry up and kill himself”.
The coroner, Peter Bedford, called some of the staff members’ behaviour unacceptable in a narrative verdict delivered on Thursday, but said the company had made significant changes. The 18-year-old’s death was attributable to numerous factors, including his fears over his health and a failing relationship with his former girlfriend, who was deemed to be blameless.
The coroner said he understood Cheese’s parents’ desire to blame the Audi dealership, but added that steps taken by the management following his death had succeeded in improving conditions there.
Mr Kindeleit (manager) said mental health charity Mind had run a management course, and frequent team-building exercises had been put in place, as well as weekly employee appraisals to improve the conduct of managers and supervisors.
Bedford said: “I have to say that in the early part of Mr Kindeleit’s evidence, I was concerned about the apparent underestimation of issues that clearly took place.” But as the inquest progressed, he said he recognised that Cheese’s death clearly “came as a wake-up call and a significant shock to the garage company”.
“Senior management at the company did bring serious action against the mentor who was involved in the fire episode with George, further involvement with Mind, and a change in emphasis in further management,” he added.'
It seems like a pretty soft verdict to me when you consider some of the testimony
'The coroner heard one of George's bosses at Audi Reading had previously told him to "hurry up and kill himself" and described him as "useless", according to notes found on his iPad after his death.
Referring to the months of alleged abuse, George's line manager, Simon Wright, said his actions - which included setting fire to his trousers, giving him the "dead leg" and taking him for a test drive to force him to walk back - said it had all been "horseplay" and "banter".
He said: "I was in the workshop when a prank was played on George and he was set on fire.
"It did not go too far. We knew where to draw the line.
"It was not bullying."
He added that when George returned from the test drive, where he had been dropped off half a mile away, he had smile on his face and he did not know it had affected his colleague in any way
He said several of the things he had done to George, such as locking him in the boot of a car and hosing him down with a pressure cleaner, were things most of the apprentices were subjected to and that they would always be laughing at the end.'
Not bullying, my arse.
I hope that one day that guy comes to realize what he's done.
Last edited by pandy; 26/05/17 01:27 PM.
