‘Enforced respect’ hid an inability to cope

Mike Buckley made bold claims for workload of his department and inflated statistics beyond recognition.

But in reality, he was unable to cope with even the relatively modest requirements of genuine customers and it seems certain some of the testing work clients paid for was never even carried out.

While Buckley apparently commanded the unquestioning respect of those who dealt with him, some colleagues did have their suspicions.

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One colleague who doubted the legitimacy of Buckley’s work placed fluff inside pipettes sent to him for testing and he found the same debris remained after they were returned, meaning it was impossible for the tests to have been carried out.

The Newton report also states: “There was also evidence on Buckley’s personal PC that suggested he had replicated certification software to enable him to seemingly comply with certification requirements without actually doing the work.

“It was stressed to me that the probable fake certification was in areas of work where the equipment once in use was inherently stable and thus with little probability of disastrous consequences.

“Buckley simply did not have time to do the work he had signed for.”

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As Mr Newton conducted his interviews, it emerged one colleague had “wrestled with his conscience” about whether to report Buckley but in the end had not done so.

The draft of Mr Newton’s report also examines the role of the trading standards officers who worked alongside Buckley and who were, states the document, “bamboozled” by him.

However, he adds: “They had more opportunity than others to question him and see through him.

“They were clearly in awe of his technical knowledge and accepted far too readily his explanations for the growth of the unit.

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“They were proud of the prestige of the unit and basked in its reflected glory and the fame it brought to South Yorkshire Trading Standards.”

Mr Newton said he found it “astonishing” that they “meekly accepted to stop doing routine work, food testing for example. Initially this was the whole raison d’etre of the unit”.