MERSEYSIDE Fire and Rescue Service unfairly dismissed a firefighter after he was accused of punching a senior officer’s son, it emerged yesterday.
Kevin Hughes, 44, was sacked for gross misconduct after he allegedly hit 19-year-old James Tasker, whose father is a Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service officer.
But he took the Fire Authority to an employment tribunal because he said there was no proof he hit Mr Tasker and no criminal charges were ever brought.
Commenting on the ruling, Merseyside Fire Brigade Union (FBU) secretary Les Skarratts told the Daily Post: “It’s a great decision for Kevin Hughes and his family and we feel this is a decision for common sense.
“We will be seeking talks with the fire authority to resolve this matter.
“We will certainly be writing to the fire authority seeking their thoughts and we hope that they will do the right thing for Kevin and his family.”
Mr Hughes, who lives in Rainhill, also claimed he was the victim of a “witch hunt” by the fire service because he is vice-chair of Merseyside FBU.
But in a verbal ruling handed down on Friday, employment judge Keith Robinson said Mr Hughes had not been victimised for being a union activist.
Mr Robinson upheld the unfair dismissal claim.
There will be another hearing on December 13 when the two sides will discuss how Mr Hughes should be compensated.
He was fired for gross misconduct after an internal disciplinary hearing in 2008.
He appealed to the fire authority to overturn the decision but failed.
The Whiston firefighter was accused of thumping Mr Tasker, son of Steven Pratt, in the Victoria Pub, Rainhill, just after midnight on July 26, 2008. The tribunal was told Mr Tasker suffered a swollen face and two chipped teeth in an attack that night.
Fire Authority vice chair Cllr Dave Hanratty said councillors had agreed to stick to the tribunal’s findings. He indicated that if the written judgement suggests the firefighter should be reinstated, Mr Hughes could return to frontline duty.
Cllr Hanratty added: “We need to await the detail and then allow all parties to sit round the table and determine what the next stage is going to be.”
