This is my final post before sitting down to write the book:james Lynchehaun, my war on terror. The book will have a copy of my passport with the relevant dates shown.
I worked for ConvaTec in their Deeside plant, in a unit that was managed by, amongst others, Robbie Heginbotham. I had complained to senior members of the ConvaTec management team and in 2000 to the Corporate Ombudsman at Bristol-Myers Squibb, ConvaTec’s parent company, about a number of serious issues, including unrecorded health and safety lapses and the fraudulent use of company assets. I left employment at the time of a restructuring that was overseen by Robbie Heginbotham. My post was filled within 2 months by contract labour.
The day I left ConvaTec I received an email from a barrister named Leon de Costa asking if £100.00 would buy legalrights.co.uk, a domain name I owned. He did not say whether or not he represented anyone other than himself. As a result of this contact I followed various links until I came upon a website, esettle.co.uk, which was run by Mr de Costa. I used his site to make a claim for constructive dismissal against my employer; in doing so I provided ConvaTec with information that was critical to my case. At a later date, I uncovered what I believed was a working relationship between Leon de Costa and FBI deputy director, Thomas J Pickard. Pickard was second in command to Louis J Freeh, director of the FBI. Pickard’s duties at the time of leaving the FBI in 2001 were investigation into the East Coast Anthrax mailings and the 911 attacks. Pickard joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in January 2002, reporting to John L McGoldrick. John L McGoldrick was head of the division of which ConvaTec was a company; he was also general counsel for Bristol-Myers Squibb, so I assume the Corporate Ombudsman reported to him. Pickard would later be joined by his boss, Louis J Freeh who also went to work for Bristol-Myers Squibb but as a board member. As far as I know, no statement has ever been made by the FBI, or Bristol-Myers Squibb, regarding the investigation.
So, why would the FBI have been investigating me? I make no bones about the fact I joked about blowing up a packaging machine that I thought was a load of junk when I worked for ConvaTec. That may be the reason the FBI will give for their involvement, if ever they're called to account. I'm convinced the real reason is somewhat more sinister. I believe I suffered retaliation for whistle-blowing to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Corporate Ombudsman, when I reported fraudulent use of company assets and I unintentionally raised the spectre of a Mesothelioma-like claim against Bristol-Myers Squibb, by insisting ConvaTec record extremely high exposure levels to solvents in a maintenance operation conducted on the "hot melt" process; a maintenance operation for which no SOPs were ever drawn up.
After I left ConvaTec, I approached ACAS with a view to them mediating between ConvaTec and myself. Their man admitted to discussing the matter with ConvaTec but told me he was unable to assist and refused to meet me.
In the meantime, following the email from esettle in which I claimed constructive dismissal, the HR director at Deeside asked my permission- which I gave - to have my case referred to the ConvaTec board of directors for their consideration. This was done through Joe Patti, head of HR for ConvaTec, in the U.S.. In a submission I asked the board if they could facilitate my transfer to another Bristol-Myers Squibb plant. The request was refused.
I went to Eversheds solicitors Manchester to get advice on taking ConvaTec to an employment tribunal. Peter Norbury was head of the Human Resources department at Eversheds. Eversheds advised me that I didn't have a case, so I decided to go it alone.
During the period running up to the tribunal hearing I received a call on my mobile that I failed to answer. On calling the missed number, I was informed I was talking to Shrewsbury Employment Tribunal. This was worrying as that was the tribunal that was hearing my case and I had not provided them with my mobile number. I asked my MP, Angela Eagle, to investigate. She wrote to the tribunal and received the reply that my number had been dialled randomly. As far as I know, she did not take the matter further. I lost the case.
Again in 2001 I wrote a number of times to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Corporate Ombudsman, but each time I wrote it seemed there was another instance of an East Coast Anthrax Mailing. In 2003 a later Corporate Ombudsman denied the office had received any communication from me. One explanation would be she was lying and she had received communication from me, a second explanation might be that Thomas J Pickard's FBI team, who were investigating the mailings, and me, intercepted my letters. As stated earlier, Pickard went to work for bristol-Myers Squibb in January 2002. Why hasn't anyone ever been charged with sending the Anthrax letters?
At Christmas 2001, I was the subject of a "psychological warfare" operation in Barbados; my passport is date stamped for entry on the 22nd December, the same date that Richard Reid the shoe bomber tried to blow up a plane. I believed I was being implicated in what I see as a Department of Justice web of deceit surrounding this whole incident. On the outward flight I'd been aware that I was being watched by the individual in the seat next but one to me. To confirm my suspicions, I feigned discomfort with my foot and I played with my shoe to alleviate the non-existent problem. This caused alarm to my fellow passenger. On arrival my fellow traveller jumped the line in the arrivals area and sped off into the terminal. The following day I had a discussion with a number of individuals regarding 'some arsehole, who tried to blow up a plane with a shoe bomb' and had what I felt was an esoteric exchange on the subject of mesothelioma contracted in the workplace. It was a day or two after that I found out about Reid. Due to a number of other incidents, I returned from holiday a week early suffering acute anxiety. Jack Straw who had been Home secretary at the time of the FBI/UK operation was at this time foreign secretary. Here's one for the conspiracy theorists: my passport is also date stamped for entry to Barbados on the 15th June 2005, the date the DoJ and Bristol-Myers Squibb entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. As part of the agreement Bristol-Myers Squibb escaped being charged with "conspiracy to commit securities fraud". Was this the Department of Justice and Bristol-Myers Squibb sticking up a finger to me? Who knows, but that little episode cost Bristol-Myers Squibb shareholders a cool $300 million dollars.
Following my return from Barbados at Christmas 2001, the psychological warfare continued. My bank, the Halifax in Liscard, Wallasey, that I had been a customer with for many years was unable to find any record of me having an account with them. This I must say was a temporary glitch, for as I returned to the bank some time later one of the tellers who had been involved left the bank saying ‘let me out of here!!’. I am not prepared to name the tellers/bank employees involved, as I know their instructions came from above.
In September 2002, I put up a website attacking ACAS, Shrewsbury Employment Tribunal, ConvaTec and Bristol-Myers Squibb. I commented on the unrecorded health and safety lapses and the fraudulent use of company assets. I questioned the involvement of FBI deputy director Thomas J Pickard, and commented on the fact the UK government, under Tony Blair, would be aware of any FBI operation taking place in the UK - UK services may well have assisted the FBI. As I have said previously, Jack Straw was Home Secretary at the time. As there was FBI involvement, the fact I may have been portrayed as a villain, or worse, by someone I had pointed the finger at had not escaped me. Under those circumstances I questioned the judgement of the authorities to let me work as an IT technician at West Kirby Grammar School for Girls. Peter Norbury of Eversheds solicitors took on the case for ConvaTec. They threatened me with legal action if I didn't take the site down and sign an undertaking not to criticise ConvaTec again. I reluctantly complied.
I later complained to the Law Society that there was a conflict of interest on the part of Eversheds. The Law Society said there wasn’t and backed Eversheds against me. I found this strange, as apart from the employment tribunal route, which I accept has quite tight time constraints, I believe I would have been able to take action against ConvaTec in a number of ways had it not been for Eversheds taking up the case for ConvaTec. Quite clearly my whole case was undermined, as all my documentation relating to the case had been viewed and copied by Eversheds when advising me, just eighteen months before they, Eversheds, represented ConvaTec against me.
In 2003, I emailed Peter Dolan, Chairman and CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb, to complain and to tell him the real reason for the FBI involvement. In an email response from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Ombudsman I was told they had no record of me having contacted them previously but that they supported the actions of the ConvaTec division and the gag that ConvaTec had forced on me.
In January 2008, I reported what went on to the American authorities, through the US embassy in London. I have a letter from the Merseyside police to confirm.
THE SALE OF CONVATEC: On the 8th July 2008 at 08.56.17am from IP address 86.144.228.135 someone visited my website searching to see if I had any Internet content regarding ConvaTec. The following month ConvaTec was sold in a multi-billion dollar deal. I can only assume, someone felt what I had to say was relevant to the sale.
As I felt what I had to say fell within the terms of reference of the Chilcot inquiry in as much as the inquiry website states the terms are "very broad" and my statement relates to the activities of western agencies prior to the Iraq war, I made a submission to the inquiry on the 18/01/2011. In a follow up email I offered to give verbal evidence to the inquiry.
I had contact with Eversheds solicitors and ConvaTec in 2011, when I requested they release me from the undertaking. They declined to do so.
Daft as it may seem, the undertaking did not include a confidentiality clause!!
Consider the following:
Who involved the FBI? Let's face it, they weren't just passing ConvaTec Deeside when they decided to drop in.
Was there genuine concern I posed a credible threat to ConvaTec?
If the answer to the above is yes, did I not pose a threat to the girls at West Kirby Grammar School?
When investigating me, did the FBI not know I was a whistleblower who had raised issues with the ConvaTec HR manager and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Ombudsman?
Did the FBI operation carry on after I left employment? For instance, in 2001, were my letters to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Ombudsman intercepted by the FBI?
What do Jack Straw and other members of the Tony Blair administration know?
What was the gag intended to hide?
Who in ConvaTec authorized the gag?
Who in ConvaTec refused to lift the gag?
Did several ConvaTec employees, a number of Bristol-Myers Squibb employees, including a board member, together with employees of the US Department of Justice fail to disclose information relevant to the new owners of ConvaTec and their backers?
Have I been defrauded?
Jim Lynchehaun.
I worked for ConvaTec in their Deeside plant, in a unit that was managed by, amongst others, Robbie Heginbotham. I had complained to senior members of the ConvaTec management team and in 2000 to the Corporate Ombudsman at Bristol-Myers Squibb, ConvaTec’s parent company, about a number of serious issues, including unrecorded health and safety lapses and the fraudulent use of company assets. I left employment at the time of a restructuring that was overseen by Robbie Heginbotham. My post was filled within 2 months by contract labour.
The day I left ConvaTec I received an email from a barrister named Leon de Costa asking if £100.00 would buy legalrights.co.uk, a domain name I owned. He did not say whether or not he represented anyone other than himself. As a result of this contact I followed various links until I came upon a website, esettle.co.uk, which was run by Mr de Costa. I used his site to make a claim for constructive dismissal against my employer; in doing so I provided ConvaTec with information that was critical to my case. At a later date, I uncovered what I believed was a working relationship between Leon de Costa and FBI deputy director, Thomas J Pickard. Pickard was second in command to Louis J Freeh, director of the FBI. Pickard’s duties at the time of leaving the FBI in 2001 were investigation into the East Coast Anthrax mailings and the 911 attacks. Pickard joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in January 2002, reporting to John L McGoldrick. John L McGoldrick was head of the division of which ConvaTec was a company; he was also general counsel for Bristol-Myers Squibb, so I assume the Corporate Ombudsman reported to him. Pickard would later be joined by his boss, Louis J Freeh who also went to work for Bristol-Myers Squibb but as a board member. As far as I know, no statement has ever been made by the FBI, or Bristol-Myers Squibb, regarding the investigation.
So, why would the FBI have been investigating me? I make no bones about the fact I joked about blowing up a packaging machine that I thought was a load of junk when I worked for ConvaTec. That may be the reason the FBI will give for their involvement, if ever they're called to account. I'm convinced the real reason is somewhat more sinister. I believe I suffered retaliation for whistle-blowing to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Corporate Ombudsman, when I reported fraudulent use of company assets and I unintentionally raised the spectre of a Mesothelioma-like claim against Bristol-Myers Squibb, by insisting ConvaTec record extremely high exposure levels to solvents in a maintenance operation conducted on the "hot melt" process; a maintenance operation for which no SOPs were ever drawn up.
After I left ConvaTec, I approached ACAS with a view to them mediating between ConvaTec and myself. Their man admitted to discussing the matter with ConvaTec but told me he was unable to assist and refused to meet me.
In the meantime, following the email from esettle in which I claimed constructive dismissal, the HR director at Deeside asked my permission- which I gave - to have my case referred to the ConvaTec board of directors for their consideration. This was done through Joe Patti, head of HR for ConvaTec, in the U.S.. In a submission I asked the board if they could facilitate my transfer to another Bristol-Myers Squibb plant. The request was refused.
I went to Eversheds solicitors Manchester to get advice on taking ConvaTec to an employment tribunal. Peter Norbury was head of the Human Resources department at Eversheds. Eversheds advised me that I didn't have a case, so I decided to go it alone.
During the period running up to the tribunal hearing I received a call on my mobile that I failed to answer. On calling the missed number, I was informed I was talking to Shrewsbury Employment Tribunal. This was worrying as that was the tribunal that was hearing my case and I had not provided them with my mobile number. I asked my MP, Angela Eagle, to investigate. She wrote to the tribunal and received the reply that my number had been dialled randomly. As far as I know, she did not take the matter further. I lost the case.
Again in 2001 I wrote a number of times to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Corporate Ombudsman, but each time I wrote it seemed there was another instance of an East Coast Anthrax Mailing. In 2003 a later Corporate Ombudsman denied the office had received any communication from me. One explanation would be she was lying and she had received communication from me, a second explanation might be that Thomas J Pickard's FBI team, who were investigating the mailings, and me, intercepted my letters. As stated earlier, Pickard went to work for bristol-Myers Squibb in January 2002. Why hasn't anyone ever been charged with sending the Anthrax letters?
At Christmas 2001, I was the subject of a "psychological warfare" operation in Barbados; my passport is date stamped for entry on the 22nd December, the same date that Richard Reid the shoe bomber tried to blow up a plane. I believed I was being implicated in what I see as a Department of Justice web of deceit surrounding this whole incident. On the outward flight I'd been aware that I was being watched by the individual in the seat next but one to me. To confirm my suspicions, I feigned discomfort with my foot and I played with my shoe to alleviate the non-existent problem. This caused alarm to my fellow passenger. On arrival my fellow traveller jumped the line in the arrivals area and sped off into the terminal. The following day I had a discussion with a number of individuals regarding 'some arsehole, who tried to blow up a plane with a shoe bomb' and had what I felt was an esoteric exchange on the subject of mesothelioma contracted in the workplace. It was a day or two after that I found out about Reid. Due to a number of other incidents, I returned from holiday a week early suffering acute anxiety. Jack Straw who had been Home secretary at the time of the FBI/UK operation was at this time foreign secretary. Here's one for the conspiracy theorists: my passport is also date stamped for entry to Barbados on the 15th June 2005, the date the DoJ and Bristol-Myers Squibb entered into a deferred prosecution agreement. As part of the agreement Bristol-Myers Squibb escaped being charged with "conspiracy to commit securities fraud". Was this the Department of Justice and Bristol-Myers Squibb sticking up a finger to me? Who knows, but that little episode cost Bristol-Myers Squibb shareholders a cool $300 million dollars.
Following my return from Barbados at Christmas 2001, the psychological warfare continued. My bank, the Halifax in Liscard, Wallasey, that I had been a customer with for many years was unable to find any record of me having an account with them. This I must say was a temporary glitch, for as I returned to the bank some time later one of the tellers who had been involved left the bank saying ‘let me out of here!!’. I am not prepared to name the tellers/bank employees involved, as I know their instructions came from above.
In September 2002, I put up a website attacking ACAS, Shrewsbury Employment Tribunal, ConvaTec and Bristol-Myers Squibb. I commented on the unrecorded health and safety lapses and the fraudulent use of company assets. I questioned the involvement of FBI deputy director Thomas J Pickard, and commented on the fact the UK government, under Tony Blair, would be aware of any FBI operation taking place in the UK - UK services may well have assisted the FBI. As I have said previously, Jack Straw was Home Secretary at the time. As there was FBI involvement, the fact I may have been portrayed as a villain, or worse, by someone I had pointed the finger at had not escaped me. Under those circumstances I questioned the judgement of the authorities to let me work as an IT technician at West Kirby Grammar School for Girls. Peter Norbury of Eversheds solicitors took on the case for ConvaTec. They threatened me with legal action if I didn't take the site down and sign an undertaking not to criticise ConvaTec again. I reluctantly complied.
I later complained to the Law Society that there was a conflict of interest on the part of Eversheds. The Law Society said there wasn’t and backed Eversheds against me. I found this strange, as apart from the employment tribunal route, which I accept has quite tight time constraints, I believe I would have been able to take action against ConvaTec in a number of ways had it not been for Eversheds taking up the case for ConvaTec. Quite clearly my whole case was undermined, as all my documentation relating to the case had been viewed and copied by Eversheds when advising me, just eighteen months before they, Eversheds, represented ConvaTec against me.
In 2003, I emailed Peter Dolan, Chairman and CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb, to complain and to tell him the real reason for the FBI involvement. In an email response from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Ombudsman I was told they had no record of me having contacted them previously but that they supported the actions of the ConvaTec division and the gag that ConvaTec had forced on me.
In January 2008, I reported what went on to the American authorities, through the US embassy in London. I have a letter from the Merseyside police to confirm.
THE SALE OF CONVATEC: On the 8th July 2008 at 08.56.17am from IP address 86.144.228.135 someone visited my website searching to see if I had any Internet content regarding ConvaTec. The following month ConvaTec was sold in a multi-billion dollar deal. I can only assume, someone felt what I had to say was relevant to the sale.
As I felt what I had to say fell within the terms of reference of the Chilcot inquiry in as much as the inquiry website states the terms are "very broad" and my statement relates to the activities of western agencies prior to the Iraq war, I made a submission to the inquiry on the 18/01/2011. In a follow up email I offered to give verbal evidence to the inquiry.
I had contact with Eversheds solicitors and ConvaTec in 2011, when I requested they release me from the undertaking. They declined to do so.
Daft as it may seem, the undertaking did not include a confidentiality clause!!
Consider the following:
Who involved the FBI? Let's face it, they weren't just passing ConvaTec Deeside when they decided to drop in.
Was there genuine concern I posed a credible threat to ConvaTec?
If the answer to the above is yes, did I not pose a threat to the girls at West Kirby Grammar School?
When investigating me, did the FBI not know I was a whistleblower who had raised issues with the ConvaTec HR manager and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Ombudsman?
Did the FBI operation carry on after I left employment? For instance, in 2001, were my letters to the Bristol-Myers Squibb Ombudsman intercepted by the FBI?
What do Jack Straw and other members of the Tony Blair administration know?
What was the gag intended to hide?
Who in ConvaTec authorized the gag?
Who in ConvaTec refused to lift the gag?
Did several ConvaTec employees, a number of Bristol-Myers Squibb employees, including a board member, together with employees of the US Department of Justice fail to disclose information relevant to the new owners of ConvaTec and their backers?
Have I been defrauded?
Jim Lynchehaun.