Former BBC IT head unfairly dismissed over DMI failure

John Linwood was paid an annual salary of £280,000

The former BBC technology chief sacked over the failed £100m Digital Media Initiative was unfairly dismissed, an employment tribunal has found.

John Linwood claimed he was made a "scapegoat" for the failure of the DMI project, which sought to move the BBC away from using video tape.

The tribunal's findings say he was told he was the victim of a "stitch-up".

However, the tribunal also ruled Mr Linwood had partially contributed to his dismissal through his conduct.

It said he was 15% responsible for his dismissal. It also rejected two other complaints he made against the corporation.

The DMI scheme was scrapped in May 2013 by director general Tony Hall at a cost of £98.4m.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) later branded it "a complete failure" and said the BBC had been "far too complacent" over its handling of the project.

In a statement, the BBC said the failure of the scheme had been "a very difficult set of circumstances" and expressed disappointment over the tribunal's decision.

"We had a major failure of a significant project, and we had lost confidence - as the tribunal acknowledges - in John Linwood.

"At the time we believed we acted appropriately," the corporation continued. "The tribunal has taken a different view.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but nevertheless we will learn lessons from the judgment and we're grateful to staff who were involved in dealing with a very difficult case."

Foregone conclusion

The tribunal's findings outline a lengthy series of meetings and emails involving three director generals, numerous BBC executives and Lucy Adams, the BBC's former HR director.

It said the BBC's executive board had decided Mr Linwood should be dismissed "one way or another" at a meeting on 13 May 2013, and several emails sent subsequently discussed his dismissal as a foregone conclusion.

The BBC, it continued, interviewed replacements for Mr Linwood before the disciplinary procedure began and was in breach of its disciplinary procedures by failing to conduct an investigation before hearings began.

It failed to present documents to Mr Linwood in a timely manner and sent him "thousands of emails" on 19 and 21 June 2013 to help prepare for a meeting just a few days later.

Mr Linwood asked for a postponement in order to read the documents and because he had already booked family leave. The BBC responded by bringing forward the date of the hearing.

In its own representations, the BBC said Mr Linwood had been fairly dismissed after a "full and even-handed disciplinary procedure".

The date for a remedy hearing will be set by the end of August.