A senior firefighter, John Linden, was dismissed from Norfolk Fire Service after allegedly throwing a disabled YouTuber’s phone over a hedge during an altercation at a fire scene in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, in June 2023.
The YouTuber, Jimmy Evans, who uses a wheelchair and runs the channel Wheelz Media, was filming the fire from a public footpath when Linden confronted him. Footage of the incident shows Linden appearing to throw Evans’s phone over a hedge, prompting an internal investigation and Linden’s subsequent firing for misconduct.
At a recent tribunal, Linden claimed his dismissal was unfair and discriminatory, arguing that his reaction was influenced by long-term PTSD linked to childhood abuse and traumatic job experiences.
He alleged that the fire service failed to accommodate his condition appropriately. The fire service’s representative countered that Linden’s actions appeared to be a normal reaction, not PTSD-related, and that the video evidence contradicted his account. The tribunal also heard that Evans had a previously good relationship with the fire service and had not intended for Linden to be fired, only seeking an apology.