British Judo Rigging a Disciplinary Panel in a Bullying Complaint

BLOG: SBE, 21 March 2023

The Details & Evidence

2nd April 2023

The British judo Association places all responsibility upon UKSport for approving the panel & their decision in the internal BJA bullying complaint!

BJA:

The complaint you refer to was dealt with in consultation with UK sport who approved the investigation panel and signed off the report

 

Lisa Allan; member of the disciplinary panel! 


 – Daughter of the head of the BJA Sport Directorate!

 – Friends with one of the persons complained against! 

 – Close friends with multiple BJA Directors and senior staff!

 – Friends with the BJA Chair, Ronnie Saez! 

 – Member of the BJA’s  International Relations Influence commission

Lisa Allan with BJA friends.  

FaceBook public

Lisa Allan with her father, Colin McIvor, BJA Sport Director.

BJA Article

Lisa Allan with the BJA Chair & Director, Ronnie Saez.

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FaceBook Public

The Case

LP vs LR - Case History

Blog – SBE 21 March 2023

Using public Documentation and whistleblower sources, it becomes obvious that the BJA and their funders along with the BOA completely failed a BJA athlete since raising a bullying complaint in 2019.  

 

The proof of the pudding is in the eating!  

The Whyte Review: Final Report of Anne Whyte QC

You can download and read SportEngland and UKSport  statements in response to the report:
UK Sport and Sport England’s Policy Response to the Whyte Review, January 2023.

The LP vs LR - Case History

Case date: 29 July 2019

Reported to:  BJA Safeguarding Manager Keith Eldridge

Case Reference:

Physical incident between LP and LR during conditioning session at the Centre of Excellence.

Case History

Case Reported: 29 July 2019

Day Zero

12 December 2019

+ 4 months
& 13 days

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The Case is not discussed at the BJA Board meeting but is listed among the safeguarding cases in the BJA CEO’s report.

See photo from BJA CEO report. 

Date: 
12 December 2019

Timeline:
+ 4 months & 13 days

Case Status:  Pending

25 February 2020

+ 6 months
& 27 days

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The Case is not discussed at the BJA Board meeting but is listed among the safeguarding cases in the BJA CEO’s report.  

See photo from BJA CEO report. 

Date: 
25 February 2020

Timeline: 
+ 6 months & 27 days

Case Status:  Pending

 

28 April 2020

+ 8 months
& 30 days

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The Case is not discussed at the BJA Board meeting but is listed among the safeguarding cases in the BJA CEO’s report.  

Case completed with:

LR subject of internal disciplinary and appeal process.

See photo from BJA CEO report. 

Date: 
28 April 2020

Timeline: 
+ 9 months

Case Status:  COMPLETE

The complaint was far from completed and is extended to include a complaint about a BJA coach for complicity and accusations of bullying.

22 December 2020

BJA Board of Directors meeting.

“ATHLETE INVESTIGATION”

+ 1 year, 4 months, 23 days

16 February 2021

+ 1 year, 6 months, 20 days

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BJA Board Meeting, 16 February 2021:

One of the first points the BJA Board of Directors discuss is “redacting”  content from the December 2020 BJA Board meeting minutes.  

BJA CEO, Andrew Scoular:

AS responded that anything confidential is redacted as is personal information which included anything that could be seen as controversial.

BJA Chair and Ltd Company Director, Ronnie Saez:

RS added that the process has worked well so far and if anything had been left in that was deemed confidential or controversial, it would have been highlighted.

The action to “redact” the previous BJA Board meeting minutes was proposed by BJA Ltd Company Director, Andrew Haffner.

………….and the full section “ATHLETE INVESTIGATION” from the previous meeting minutes is not just “redacted” but completely “disappeared” with no reference to it ever having existed. 

ATHLETE INVESTIGATION:

The BJA CEO,Andrew Scoular, briefs the BJA Board of Directors in detail about the bullying complaint:

Fulcrum Solicitors having conducted 27 Interviews,
The report from the investigation to be sent out to those involved, early January, who will be given 2 weeks to respond by 21 January.  
Should there be a need, an independent hearing would be held with an “independent Chair”, Mark England OBE, and two BJA Ltd company directors representing the BJA Board of Directors. 
Peter Blewett & Loretta Cussack-Doyle. 
These two BJA Ltd directors had been sent information by Fulcrum Solicitors during the investigation.
  • The BJA CEO states he has not “……had sight of any of the information so far………”  he then goes on to state that he “…..was impressed with how thorough Fulcrum had been.”

The minutes of the BJA Board meeting minutes conclude with the BJA CEO outline how he intends the complaint to be processed should there be an appeal:

AS [BJA CEO, Andrew Scoular] concluded that that should there be an appeal, it would come back to the Board [BJA Board of Directors] and a panel from the Board would be selected to conduct the appeal.

The BJA Sports Director, Colin McIvor, attended this BJA Board of Directors meeting!  See screenshot.

It is understood that when UKSport was presented with the BJA CEO’s suggestion about how to process the investigation and the panel to make a ruling?
(Detailed by the BJA CEO in the previous BJA Board.)  

UKSport did not think the panel compesition was sufficiently independent for an internal bullying complaint against an athlete and a BJA coach.  

It is agreed by the BJA CEO and UKSport that the BJA would appoint an independent “Adjudication Panel” to process the investigation information and decide upon the complaints made against the athlete and the BJA coach.   

16 February 2021

+ 1 year, 6 months, 20 days

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BJA Board Meeting, 16 February 2021:

One of the first points the BJA Board of Directors discuss is “redacting”  content from the December 2020 BJA Board meeting minutes.  

BJA CEO, Andrew Scoular:

AS responded that anything confidential is redacted as is personal information which included anything that could be seen as controversial.

BJA Chair and Ltd Company Director, Ronnie Saez:

RS added that the process has worked well so far and if anything had been left in that was deemed confidential or controversial, it would have been highlighted.

The action to “redact” the previous BJA Board meeting minutes was proposed by BJA Ltd Company Director, Andrew Haffner.

………….and the full section “ATHLETE INVESTIGATION” from the previous meeting minutes is not just “redacted” but completely “disappeared” with no reference to it ever having existed. 

The BJA Sports Director, Colin McIvor, attended this BJA Board of Directors meeting!  See screenshot.

6 April 2021

+ 617 days

The Adjudication Panel

6 April 2021, the Adjudication Panel Chair sends a letter to the BJA CEO, Andrew Scoular.

The Chair of the Adjudication Panel states:

The investigation concluded on 01 February 2021.

The Adjudication Panel met on 22 March 2021 and we considered all the evidence available to us.

The Panel would like to highlight that when looking at an allegation, it is not that the Panel believes
or disbelieves one witness over the other; they acknowledge that there can be a different
perception and both parties are telling the truth as they see it.
Further, the Panel may find that the conflict in the evidence is such that it cannot be resolved.
In that case the allegation will not be proved and Ms [Redacted] and Mr [Redacted] will receive the benefit of the doubt.

The letter then goes into a summary of specific complaints made and dismisses each complaint, one by one.  
Mostly using the “conflict of evidence” clause that will give the accussed the “…benefit of the doubt.” 

All complaints against the athlete and the BJA coach are rejected by the Adjudication Panel.        

Adjudication Panel members:
Leigh Barnett: Consultant Solicitor
Matt Holt: CEO GB Boxing
Lisa Allan: Executive Committee Member International Judo Federation

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21 April 2021

+ 634 days

21 April 2021 – +634 days

The BJA makes a public statement on their website and issues a press release:

Statement: British Judo Internal Investigation

 The same day, the BBC reports:

British Judo bullying claims not upheld after investigation

 

16 july 2021 – +720 days

The BJA makes another public statement on their website about the investigation and the panel:

British Judo Statement: Athlete Investigation

Noteworthy are the BJA’s repeated statements of “independence” and how everything was processed to the “highest standards”:

The athlete accusations formed part of a fully independent investigation sourced externally. Their appointment was made following agreement with our major funding partners.

The independent investigation concluded in April 2021 and the report was considered by an independent disciplinary panel. 

The review was conducted to the highest standards of both probity and independence, and throughout the process, all parties concerned were provided with the necessary support and advice by the British Athletes Commission.

Adjudication Panel Chair:
Lisa Allan

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Lisa Allan, Photo IJF

 

Lisa Allan: Executive Committee Member International Judo Federation

She is also the daughter of the then BJA Sports Director, Colin McIvor. 
That was present at the BJA Board meeting, December 2020 and February 2021.  Currently re-hired by British Judo after retiring.

She is also a friend of the BJA Chair and BJA Ltd Company Director, Ronnie Saez

She is also a friend of the BJA coach included in the complaint.

Lisa Allan is also close friends with Loretta Cussack-Doyle and Peter Blewett that had initially been set to be on the panel before UKSport requested the panel to be independent!

British Judo CEO’s documents briefing the BJA Board of Directors have been shared in the GBJC FaceBook Group.

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