Firefighter who took his own life ‘was being bullied at his station’

Jaden Francois-Esprit died at his home in Wapping, east London, on August 26 last year, three weeks after his 21st birthday.

The family of a London firefighter who took his own life have told an inquest into his death that he complained to them about being bullied and discriminated against at his station.

Jaden Francois-Esprit died at his home in Brewhouse Lane, Wapping, east London, on August 26 last year, three weeks after his 21st birthday. He had been training as a firefighter with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and was based at Wembley station.

An inquest at Poplar Coroner’s Court on Tuesday heard from Mr Francois-Esprit’s mother, Linda Francois, who said he had accused his crew manager of bullying him and that he wanted to move to another station but had to wait eight months to complete his workbook training before this could happen.

In a statement read out in court, Ms Francois said: ‘I felt he was being unfavourably singled out because he’s an ethnic minority.’

She said her son was concerned about not receiving learning support from LFB with his dyslexia, and that he felt ‘isolated, bored and unfulfilled’ at work.

Ms Francois said she felt he was being ‘singled out’ for being young and ‘the only person of colour’ at Wembley station, and described one occasion where he did not want his mother bringing him home-cooked Caribbean food as he ‘felt uncomfortable’ talking about it to colleagues.

She said Mr Francois-Esprit would talk about being treated unfairly and being made to carry out tasks that were not assigned to him.

Ms Francois said: ‘He hated working at Wembley and accused his crew manager of bullying him.

‘As a family we believe Jaden had every intention to go to work on August 26, he prepared his uniform.

‘Perhaps the thought of sticking it out for another eight months was unbearable.

‘I don’t think he knew calling in sick was an option.

‘The anxiety got too much and he couldn’t face going back, even for one more day.’

Ms Francois described her son as ‘practical and confident’ and that he ‘wanted to feel worthy’.

She said they had conversations about race and George Floyd – a black man who died in Minneapolis in the US on May 25 last year after a white police officer held him down by pressing his knee into his neck.

The inquest heard Mr Francois-Esprit, who was part of the ‘Wembley green watch’, raised issues to his family of going to work and sleeping through most of his shifts due to there being nothing to do.

His sister Kelela Francois-Esprit arranged to meet him for dinner on August 20 last year, six days before he died, the inquest heard.

In her statement, which was read out in court, she said Mr Francois-Esprit was not enjoying work for the Wembley green watch and being the ‘only black person there’, and that he described how colleagues ‘make comments about me’.

She said Mr Francois-Esprit relayed an occasion at work where one of his crew members talked about getting robbed by five black men, and that he questioned why they had to mention race.

‘When I left Jaden, I was aware he was not happy at work, but I had no idea he was depressed,’ she said.

While reading through the family statements, senior coroner Mary Hassell said: ‘I feel very strongly the sense of isolation he felt.’

The inquest heard later from staff at the station who said they had not been aware of any concerns regarding Mr Francois-Esprit.

Giving live evidence by videolink, Daniel Johnson, LFB’s station commander at Wembley, said most of his interactions with Mr Francois-Esprit were in passing, but that he spoke to him during his nine-month probation meeting at the end of July.

Mr Johnson said: ‘He was exactly where I expected him to be, he was doing well from what I have seen.

‘He said everything was fine, he’s quite a quiet-spoken guy, very polite, smiling a lot.’

When asked by Ms Hassell whether he had concerns about Mr Francois-Esprit’s personal wellbeing, he said: ‘None at all.’

On claims that Mr Francois-Esprit was being picked on at the station, Mr Johnson said: ‘I have never heard of any incidents of him being picked on, bullied or singled out.

‘Everything I’d seen gave me the indication that the watch is well run and well managed and bonds well together.’

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Another fireman on the Wembley green watch, Ben Robinson, told the inquest when asked about Mr Francois-Esprit being singled out for his age or race: ‘I didn’t notice that at all.’

When asked whether he saw any signs of bullying, he added: ‘One hundred per cent no. He was never excluded, he was 100% part of the team.’

Mr Francois-Esprit’s cause of death was recorded as suspension.

His family have set up a fundraiser in his memory to help raise money to start a charity to help prevent suicide and depression.

The inquest continues.

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