11/02/2013 Inside Out West

Hello from Somerset, where we have discovered a teacher accused of

being a paedophile seven years before he was eventually brought to

justice. This man was the first to speak out, but did he go about

things the wrong way. I sincerely believe I did have the right thing.

Also, their top speed is only eight mph but with accidents on the rise,

campaigners are demanding compulsory training to use mobility

scooters. And an exclusive look at an unseen

interview with Bomber Harris, films 30 years ago. If I had the same

time again, I would do the same thing.

The East is Inside Out West. -- and this is.

A former teacher at a Somerset school has been sentenced to ten

years in jail for sexual offences against a 14-year-old boy...

This is Keith Ruby, a former teacher jailed for ten years for

abusing a pupil. He was only sentenced last month, more than

seven years after being exposed as a paedophile by this man. When that

guilty verdict came in I felt that justice had finally been done. I

felt totally vindicated. Andrew Counsell did the right thing when

he reported Ruby to the police, but he was also a serial complainant

who made a series of unfounded allegations against his former

school. For that he paid a heavy price. I have lost my job, friends,

I could lose my home. A nightmare. So does Andrew Counsell deserve to

be recognised as a whistle blower at all T--? Certainly not,

according to a tribunal. Yet without his help, Keith Ruby may

never have faced justice. Andrew Counsell provided us with

information that led to this investigation. The investigation

has been very valuable and I do see him as a whistleblower. Andrew

Counsell and his wife, Susan, have lived at their home in Weston-

super-Mare for more than 30 years. They raised a family here and every

room is full of memories. They now face losing it all. We could not

believe that things are spiralling out of control to the point they

were. High Court injunctions coming through and finding out the boat

�75,000 was just devastating. is the outstanding cost of the

legal action taken against Andrew Counsell by his former employer,

Sidcot School. The private Quakers school in north Somerset went to

court in 2011 to stop him harrassing its staff and parents.

wanted them to know that Ruby had been arrested, and let them know

that these allegations have come forward again and police were

launching a second inquiry. Andrew Counsell had been sick -- sacked by

Sidcot School in 2006, dismissed for gross misconduct for making

public a long list of unfounded claims against the school. But

among them was an allegation that Keith Ruby had been sexually

abusing a pupil and asking others to strip naked. Ruby had left the

school in 2005 but eight months later, a group of pupils had come

to Counsell with the allegations. A police say they are investigating

allegations of abuse... At that time, the police

investigation failed to bring we be to justice. When no charges were

brought I just could not believe it. I felt everything I had done was

for nothing. I had so much sympathy for the pupils. It was just unreal.

It looked like Andrew Counsell -- Andrew Counsell may have got it

wrong about Keith Ruby, and it was also clear he wanted to hit back at

the school. He had a long history as a see real complainant at the

school, making allegations over the years. His letter to parents

mentioned again some of those unfounded claims. An employment

tribunal backed his dismissal, Sidcot's head teacher at the time

said... The dismissal meant that Counsell

was effectively blacklisted and never worked as a teacher again. He

still refuses to acknowledge he did anything wrong. I believe that I

followed the correct procedures, from the time of reporting the

abuse to the time I wrote a letter to parents, to tell them these

things had happened and that their children were in a group which

meant they could be victims. In the meantime, Rudi was free, to

continue working in education. -- Keith Ruby. Keith Ruby portrayed

himself as a particularly committed teacher but in my view, his actions

were aimed at achieving 1-1 contact with children, and the ability to

take advantage and then followed that up with abuse. DCI Richard

Kelvey is the officer who eventually brought repeated justice.

He said the investigation failed in 2006 for a very good reason. -- is

the officer who eventually brought Keith Ruby to justice.

Unfortunately, the officer in charge at the time was not at a

point in his life where he could disclose everything. For the police,

their hands were tied, but Andrew Counsell's Information Board

welcomed. He is evidence of men, and now, it was of value to us.

Andrew Counsell remains an outsider because of his actions. Today we

brought him back to Sidcot School. How does it feel being back here at

Sidcot School? It is a strange feeling. Do you regret speaking

out? I do not an hour but certainly speak out again. As a parent of

five children, I would wish to know if my child was in a group at risk.

But did Andrew Counsell go about things in the right way? The school

and the employment tribunal were clear he did not. They say when he

publicised his wide-ranging allegations in January 2006, he was

not acting in good faith. The law says even employee cannot prove he

acted in good faith, he cannot be protected as a whistleblower. But

it is a law someone changed. think there is a problem for the

law. Motives should not matter if someone is raising a concern that

is valid and right. Kathy is the chief executive of Public Concern

at Work, which advises would-be whistleblowers. She knows how

quickly relationships can break down between an employer and a

would-be whistleblower. We find that the individual who has raised

the concern becomes part of the problem and the organisation is

looking at the messenger rather than listening to the message. If

we are talking about abuse, that simply is not good enough. A school

needs to act immediately, letting the whistleblower note that that is

the case. So was there a delay in the allegations between -- of Keith

Ruby being investigated. It is agreed that Counsell first put his

concerns in writing in the October. But the police were not notified

until three weeks later, and only then by Counsell. The police had no

problem with him coming directly to them. Here made the information

known to us and that is commendable. North Somerset Council also says it

had no problems with POW Andrew Counsell raised the allegations. In

fact, we have discovered it had concerns about the way the school

had dealt with the claims. A The school insists Andrew Counsell

did not give them enough in -- time or information to investigate the

claims properly. His motives are again of concern. A spokesman from

And the head at the time, John Why it was not out to harm the

school, the staff, the parents or the children. You find yourself in

this position, it is thrust on you from nowhere, and you have to make

a decision on what to do. I know we can all look back in hindsight and

say, I would have done it differently, but you're caught up

in the moment and you follow your conscience and principles and you

make a decision. Sidcot School and Andrew Counsell are never likely to

agree on what led him to make the decisions he did, and it is clear

he have motivations that were not those of a valid whistle Blower,

but it is undeniable that his initial action was the first step

that was to lead to the conviction of Keith Ruby for 16 offences of

child abuse, and while Andrew Counsell may not accept what the

employment tribunal says about much of his conduct, he feels, he says,

that in the conviction of Keith Ruby, he can take some comfort.

think that whistleblowers are on their own. It is a very lonely

place to be. If the situation came around again, I would do it again.

Coming up: Bomber Harris in his own words. Exclusive interview footage

from 1977. The bombers kept well over one million feet Germans out

of the German army because of the For many disabled people mobility

scooters give an opportunity to get scooters give an opportunity to get

out of the house, but as more people use them, the amount of

accidents are on the rise. Now it is said that they should have

compulsory training, mobility scooters, owners. For many,

mobility scooters are a lifeline and for others they are a menace.

At eight miles per hour going full pelt, you can do damage. Graham

knows the dangers of mobility scooters. A quick trip to the shops

ended in hospital. Battered, bruised and broken, he is the

latest victim of a mobility scooter accident. As I stepped out of the

shop on to the pavement I got hit. It was by a mobility scooter. It

was quite a shock and not to be eight feet. I broke my hip and my

left shoulder. I have had an operation. While Graham was taken

to hospital, the scooter ended up here, among the reds in the police

garage. It is being checked to see if the speed setting was at 4 mph,

the legal limit for pavement use. They can go up to eight miles per

hour on the road. It is common with scooters becoming more popular, a

condition with these things on the road and pavement. Unfortunately,

this ways in excess of 140 kilograms. With the driver on top

of that, it is a considerable weight on the pavement.

inspector found the driver did not break the debate. Police have

limited powers to prosecute because mobility scooters are classified as

a medical devices and not vehicles. They are outside the law. They are

not covered by the Road Traffic Act. We are limited, if any powers, to

deal with anyone involved. Jo found it out to her horror when she was

hit by a scooter on holiday in Cornwall. Mice and called the

police when the accident happened - - my son. Having said to my son, we

are not really interested because it is not a traffic accident. His

reply was, my mum has been knocked over. What are you going to do

about it? She had stopped to look in an art gallery when the accident

happened. I felt a tremendous pressure on me, something pressing

me. I turned and shouted. I glanced and then was a gentleman in an

invalid carriage. The next thing, I am on the ground and my leg had

been caught under the chassis. had numerous operations and a skin

graft. She could not move her leg for three months. She wonders

whether the man who injured Hirst should -- injured her should have

been driving. He looked blank, almost unaware of where he was. He

apparently suffers from a disease that is degenerative, which is very

sad. Some of them seemed to go too fast and they are not terribly

aware of other pedestrians. I am conscious of them and I give them a

wide berth. Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

police do not record the accidents as different from any other vehicle

collision. Unlike cars and motorbikes, there is no restriction

on who can buy a scooter. This man in Somerset is using his as a

carpet career. Some safety campaigners think that more

responsibility should lie with those who sell them. I recall a

competitor selling a mobility scooter to a blind person. It is

fairly obvious when someone is not able to use a piece of equipment.

Robert from Bristol make sure that his customer can drive their new

scooters safely. You are looking for a new scooter to replace one of

your scooters you have already? It is essential that whoever will be

using the scooter knows how to use it and is physically able to. We

carry out of assessment as to their limitations, what medication, if

that has an effect. Digby Bradley has bought a scooter from Bob

before. He is having refresher training, just in case the stock

even getting out of the shop is a challenge. -- just in case. Being

able to travel on the scooter has given did be a new lease of life.

He used to be a builder and he loves gardening. Deteriorating

joint mean he cannot get around unaided. More a wife was quite

upset because she used to go on walks by herself and I could not

accompany her, I would walk a few yards and sit down and wait until

she came back. It was not a good thing. We looked to our first

scooter and I have not looked back. But it has not been plain sailing.

I was in a supermarket cafe and because the floor was highly

polished the scooter went backwards and hit a lady sitting at a chair.

She was very good about it, but it could have been a problem if her

coffee had scalded her. Some of these scooters are about 70

kilograms. They'd take double that in terms of the user. At eight

miles per hour, and you can do some damage. Your only recourse would be

to the potentially sue somebody for whatever damage or injury they

caused. That is because there is no insurance requirement. I think that

is irresponsible. Joe was able to get compensation because the driver

of the mobility scooter that hit her could claim through his

household insurance. Others have not been so fortunate. At the

moment, there are three petitions campaigning for the Government to

introduce compulsory insurance and proficiency training for drivers.

Later this month, a mother from Derby whose son was injured by a

scooter intends to take victims to Downing Street. Some action must be

taken to ensure standards are maintained in terms of safety of

the vehicles and that basic training should be undertaken.

Alison Seabeck has headed the call to make mobility scooter use safer.

She has had one success with police now having to record accidents

involving the scooters. They will be accidents on the road, they will

not necessarily take account of those on the pavements. There will

be some reporting which will help identify the nature of the problem.

Meanwhile, Graham has learned the police are taking no action against

the woman he knocked him down. something happens, you have to deal

with it. The irony is that it is me who now needs a mobility scooter!

It is serious. Some body could be killed. The Department of Transport

is now looking at bringing in a test for the new users. Campaigners

believe it is the only way to take the liability out of mobility. Now,

his extraordinary leadership of RAF Bomber Command during the Second

World War earned Cheltenham-born Arthur Harris the nickname Bomber

Harris. His ruthless implementation of the Government's saturation

bombing policy, laying waste to German cities like Cologne and

Dresden, made him a hugely controversial figure. In 1977 he

gave a rare post-war interview that has remained unseen, until tonight.

Here is Steve Knibbs. We shall never extent of the German and

Japanese level, but if anybody likes to play rough, we can play

rough, too. Cinema newsreels fired steely words, forged in the heat of

war, to weld a nation together. Tonight we have a rare film to show

you. All but forgotten, after 35 years collecting dust in the RAF's

film archive, Retired Air Vice Marshall Tony Mason tracked down

and persuaded the Ministry of Defence to let us show you a piece

of history he played a key part in. It has never been seen by the

general public, until now. This was 1977 and there sits a young, newly

promoted Group Captain Tony Mason. Opposite sits the most senior RAF

officer you could imagine. May I welcome you to the RAF Staff

College and thank you for agreeing to discuss with us the bomber

offensive in World War Two. Jeremy Paxman it was not. I was

deferential. I hope I was not sycophantic. I was very nervous.

This was a key figure of World War Two and the RAF wanted a lessons

learned interview, navigating his career directing bombing raids from

1942 until 1945. He was a controversial figure and associated

with what came to be called area bombing. There was a fair

proportion of the population who were not happy with the way Bomber

Command and the US Air Force targeted cities. That was the

target of the first question. A when you took over, were New given

a specific directive? O'Connor yes, I lived in a shower of directives.

-- yes. But the directive when I took over was the one that I wasn't

to specifically aim at anything unless ordered to do so. In the

interview, he shoots down the myth that area bombing was his idea. It

was government policy. I felt that the man I was interviewing, he was

older, but he was still that man who had commanded Bomber Command

for the three incredibly important years. Hitler has sown the wind,

let them reap the whirlwind. At 86, Sir Arthur Harris was relaxed and

his resolve was as strong as ever. Tony saw the qualities that Winston

Churchill valued. The value of this film is clear to historians. It is

done at a time when there have been interpretations about Bomber

Command. And about Harris. Why was he ordered to blast cities rather

than specific targets? Tony was able to find out. They were not

hitting very much and they had not got much to hit things with.

night after night they rolled out heavy bombers. The missions cost

55,500 m men their lives. One question had to be asked and Harris

did not let the subject of what many still regard as a city too far.

RAF heavy bombers assist. The target is Dresden. About half a

million people died in the British and American air raids on German

cities. 25,000 interest and. -- 25,000 in Dresden. The bombers kept

over 1 million Fitch Germans out of the army because of the bombing.

Making the ammunition and doing urgent repairs, especially trades

men. The attack on Dresden disfigured Bomber Command's

fantastic three years of contribution. There is no

explanation of why Dresden had been mounted in the first place. That is

what I am trying to get behind, on why a Dresden? Harris clarified

that Dresden was one of three he was ordered to destroy to help the

assault on Germany. The great thing about the interview is the length,

the subject settles down, you get a sense of emotion and the real

person. I thought many times since I interviewed him, what was by

summary of the man? Did the interview changed my view of him?

It did. Ruthless in the pursuit of a objectives. The primary concern

was the interest of Britain. And aware, as he said, reaping the

whirlwind. But beneath that, there was an awareness of tragedy. There

was an awareness of what damage he inflicted. There was enormous

sensitivity about the lives which he had commanded to be lost.

Harris's recall and resolve were on show throughout the 90 minutes, but

regret was not. The if you had the time over which you do anything

differently? If I had the same time over again, I would do the same

thing. I would hope not to have the same time over again. I thought the

response was astonishing. I have to say I did not expect him to do

anything differently because he is not that kind of man. What I liked

was his after comment. I hope it is of value to future generations.

Even if it only helps them to keep out of these sorts of riots. They

never do anybody any good in the end. That is all we have time for

tonight. You can keep in touch with what we are up to it and join in

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