Day 198 - 08 Dec 95 - Page 13
1 not to leave? What reason did they give?
2 A. They just -- what was the reason given? I cannot
3 remember the exact words, but basically it was the case of,
4 first of all, trying to find a solution to the problem that
5 we had as opposed to me just leaving.
6
7 Q. It was after, I suggest to you, Mr. Skehel was appointed in
8 place of Mr. Davis as Supervisor that you applied for the
9 job at the TSB?
10 A. No, no. I applied for the job with the TSB
11 December/January. It took about six or seven months to go
12 through the procedure.
13
14 Q. When you started your evidence on Wednesday you said
15 January or February?
16 A. All right then, if you say so. It was round about --
17 it was not anything to do with Mr. Skehel getting the job
18 that I actually applied for the job. I had applied for
19 jobs previous to that as well.
20
21 Q. May I suggest, Mr. Coton, that you realised that the game
22 was up and that you would need somewhere to go?
23 A. Absolute rubbish! I knew there was always going to be
24 a problem with me and Mr. Skehel because we did not like --
25 well, he did not like me personally and made no -- he never
26 tried to hide the fact that he did not like me and that we
27 were not going to get on at all when he got promoted.
28 I knew I was in for a hard time with him but that has got
29 nothing to do with what is happening today.
30
31 I have already stated that he stopped a lot of the
32 practices we were doing, so I cannot see how that has any
33 bearing on the things I have said happened previous to that
34 and me leaving the Company.
35
36 Q. This stuff about your being asked to stay on by Andy Taylor
37 and Tim Taylor is just a fairy story, is it not, Mr. Coton?
38 A. Not at all. I think if you look at the records within
39 the store and find out the number of crew that were there
40 on the Saturday, or whatever day it was he came down,
41 everybody knew he had come down.
42
43 Q. I recall you telling us there was at that meeting Mr. Andy
44 Taylor, Mr. Tim Taylor, Mr. John Atherton, Mr. Neil Skehel
45 and yourself?
46 A. No. What I actually said was, I believe I said was,
47 that I think there was a number of -- three meetings and
48 I cannot remember who was at each individual one, but all
49 those people were present at some time within those three
50 meetings.
51
52 Q. Let me remind you, what you actually said is -- my Lord, I
53 am doing this from memory, but I think I have got it right
54 -- that the first meeting with Mr. Skehel, Mr. Atherton
55 and yourself, and that then there was a second meeting, I
56 think you said, at the new drive through?
57 A. Which was conducted in, yes, with the new drive through
58 with -- whoever was the Operations Manager as well was
59 there, but I cannot remember what his name was at the
60 time.
