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Strange that somebody who makes a living from research is untroubled by such details as checking evidence when it comes to making an investigation, the outcome of which could damage someone else’s reputation and health. Perhaps the ends justify the means
, as it did for the Germans when faced with the problem of the Jews. Or was he "Just obeying orders" when he submitted his defamatory report about Pete Thomas at Southampton University?
In the summer of 2003 Dr. Bill Brooks, then Dean of Arts at the University of Southampton, asked Professor Mark Roseman (who was then head of the History Department at Southampton University and has now become Head of History at Indiana University) to investigate and report on what Bill Brooks pecieved as a "problem" in the Music Department.
During this investigation statements were taken from members of staff and Professor Roseman reached a conclusion which was detrimental to Pete Thomas, who was working part-time at the university as a lecturer in composition. As soon as he became aware of this conclusion, Pete Thomas's lawyer wrote immediately to Bill Brooks asking that it should not be published to third parties as he considered it prima facie defamatory of Pete Thomas, and that he also considered the process of the investigation to be flawed, especially as it appeared that false allegations had been made about Pete Thomas to which he was given no opportunity to respond, as "natural justice" would require. However the report was subsequently published to various third parties and the executive summary was not made confidential.
On the advice of the Associated Union of Teachers, Pete Thomas took out a "grievance" against the university as this was a university process that needed to be gone through before any action could be taken in an industrial tribunal or high court. Several weeks into this process after witness statements were taken which appeared to back up pete Thomas's lawyer's original contention and the University decided to settle. Pete Thomas is extremely happy with this settlement, the terms of which allow him to feel completely vindicated. The University has agreed to issue the following statement:
"In October 2003, Mr P Thomas submitted a Grievance to the University. Following mutual and amicable discussions, and an apology from the University, Mr Thomas has accepted that apology and settled his Grievance but has decided to return to his work as a composer full-time from 19 March 2004"