What is the purpose of this website?
Truth is Louder is a website and movement which seeks to combat the bullying and vilification whistleblowers.
It promotes ‘Equal Rights’ through the legal system, particularly for ‘whistleblowers’ and unrepresented Claimant’s.
The website also showcases the Claimant’s true life, David and Goliath, ‘one-woman-against-the-system’ tale about the grim realities of whistleblowing and strategies for the Whistleblower on how to survive.
When I told family and friends that I was going to single-handedly take on a FTSE 100 Company (Babcock) and a Local Authority (Lewisham Council) through the legal system, they thought I was crazy. “Alone?” they asked. “How you gonna do that?”
This website answers that question. The story spans over 4 years and involves a marathon legal battle, covert recordings and alleged corruption and cover-ups.
You want to know why in the world you should give this story the time of day?
The High Court denied the Claimant her right to clear her name. Given the severity of the many false allegations made against the Claimant and her persecutors failure to refute the specific content of the covert recordings and transcripts, (which proves the Claimant’s innocence and reveals a catalogue of lies and deceit by Lewisham Council), the Claimant thought it necessary to bring this to the attention of the public.
The obstacles that I encountered on the road to ruin and further injustice were insurmountable in the end, but I want to ensure that my journey wasn’t a complete waste of time. Had I known in advance of obstacles, I think I still would have proceeded down the same path, only making different choices.
There are no guidebooks out there that actually tell you about all the obstacles, tactics and dangers that you will face when you embark on the legal course as a whistleblower. It is my goal to detail each and every aspect of them, giving you a map of the territory and putting up the road signs.
Most of what I have to say will be from my own perspective. It will also include the perspectives of people who supported me along the way.
You won’t like some of what you’ll read, because it may be at odds with what you had been led to believe. My story communicates the reality of what whistleblowers actually face when they challenge wrong-doing.
I hope that the courage that I showed, (despite being consistently made to feel powerless by ‘the powers that be’), will inspire you to take the leaps in your own life and realise that there is a real alternative to silence.
You can actually do something, even when you are made to feel like you can’t. The one important question that you need ask yourself is, ‘if I don’t blow the whistle, who will?’I want to help those who are thinking about ‘blowing the whistle’ to avoid certain pitfalls, if possible. Hopefully you will have a better outcome than I did.
The aim of this website is to help you to discover your inner strength.
You’ve heard the media spin. Why not hear the truth from the source?
Whistleblowing
My expectations of being protected by whistleblowing legislation were dashed when I uncovered the harsh reality that there is no safety net, just social
inequality and the demonization of whistleblowers which ultimately will deny us access to justice.
I aim to open your eyes to the most unequal system where rich and poor are swept together.I spoke out against what I viewed as corruption and the manner in which it destroyed my life. I dared to stand up to the previously unchallenged authority of the Lewisham council. This stance caused me to be subjected to horrendous reprisals.
However, I remain steadfast in my stand to combat the corruption and see justice done.I think what makes my story so poignant is my refusal not to give up, (even after I is unfairly sacked and forced into financial ruin).
I had and still have an unquenchable desire to make a difference and to tell the truth at any cost.
My main aim is to encourage and motivate others to take a similar stand as I did. Although the I was unsuccessful in this big battle with the ‘powers that be’, I did manage to get a landmark Employment Appeal Tribunal judgment, (in Vaughan v London Borough of Lewisham), which will help other Claimant’s who make covert recordings and try to admit them as evidence at Tribunal’s.
Website content
The information on this site is published by the Claimant in this case, was is a victim of the reprisals of those who seek to try to hide the truth. The information is based on the evidence which was submitted to the Employment Tribunal, the employment Appeal Tribunal and the High Court, including the Court of Appeal and Senior Cost Court .
What is published on this website are statements made by the Claimant during the course of Court and Tribunal proceedings. They are provable facts and honest comment. Any comments and opinion which the Claimant expresses are held honestly and are based on these provable facts.
The facts are supported by the Claimant’s evidence. They are also supported by statements of case, skeleton arguments and witness statements, (which are contained on this website). It is important to note that the statements of case, witness statements, skeleton arguments and other related material were already in the public domain.
The statements made by the Claimant in the course of these legal proceedings are protected by absolute privilege, which means she cannot be sued for publishing them.
Actual documentary evidence, including e-mails, letters and extracts of transcripts of covert recordings are also showcased on this site. The Claimant believes that there is a major public interest in publishing this evidence, (particularly extracts of the transcripts), as it exposes serious wrongdoing by Lewisham Council and their managers.
I realised that I had a unique opportunity to bring some small measure of transparency directly by sharing this evidence with you; therefore I did not hesitate in taking this important step in the public interest. There is also of course a public interest in freedom of expression itself.
I hope that this website will shed light on my case and my goal to bring attention to what I view (and advised the Court), as serious misconduct, serious impropriety and/or criminal activity by public servants.Newspapers unmask this kind of thing all the time and it is in the public interest for them to do so. It is therefore in the public interest for me to also do so- as a private citizen lawfully publishing on the internet and conveying news with reportage.
Private Citizens publishing under these circumstances will be protected by Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 2000, the Reynolds Defence, justification and/or honest comment.
The Public Interest
The Claimant considers her case to be a public interest case. A public interest case is one which includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Detects or exposes crime or a serious misdemeanour; and/or
- Protects public health and safety; and/or
- Prevents the public from being misled by some statement or action of an individual or organisation; and/or
- Exposes misuse of public funds or other forms of corruption by public bodies; and/or
- Reveals potential conflicts of interest by those in positions of power and influence.
The issues raised in this case are ones of general public importance and the public interest required that those issues should be resolved. Of course this doesn’t mean that the Claimant had no private interest in the outcome of the case.
You may say, ‘it does not affect me so why should I get involved!’
I would say that it effects everyone! The issues which this case touches on are wide-ranging and hugely significant: human rights breaches by a local authority, discrimination and bullying in the workplace, the accountability of public servants, the waste of tax payers money and breaches of Data Protection Act by a local authority.
There is absolutely no chance of me gaining any employment as a result of Lewisham Council and its managers actions against me. The judgment handed down by the High Court dismissing my case has set a shocking precedent.
What does the judgment mean for you?
What happened to me could happen to any employee, anywhere, at anytime! Some may say that it will result in Local Authorities feeling free to defame their employees, in the knowledge that they will probably get away with it.
In my case Lewisham Council did, despite the fact that it abused its internal investigation procedure and breached my human rights and confidentiality in the process.The wider issues raised by these cases will have implications for communities all over the UK.
You may think that you will be protected, but in the end, what happened to me could happen to you too!
I believe that the outcome of my case has dire consequences for others who scrutinise and dare to raise concerns as local authority employees.My case raised interesting questions about the issue of your Article 8 right to reputation and whether or not Local Authorities should be protected if they defame you.
This issue is discussed further on the Legal arguments page.
Lewisham Council admitted defaming me and acted arrogantly and defensively about it. I believe that it wielded excessive official and financial power against me, (a lone citizen) and I believe that it is a case study in how not to behave when you’re supposed to be an accountable public body. This is a huge issue for Lewisham Council, the trust of the public and its staff.
How can this state of affairs be good for the morale and confidence of the tax payer and the people who work for Lewisham Council?
Did Lewisham Council act in the best interests of the tax payer in spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money on this marathon legal battle, which sort to defend numerous defamatory lies told by its managers?
You decide!