A FORMER firefighter, who claims he was subjected to a barrage of abuse while stationed at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service's training centre in Euxton, near Leyland, is threatening to publicise his experiences on the Internet.

Lee Forshaw, a homosexual, claims he was forced to quit his job as a full-time firefighter after just one day following a string of verbal taunts and physical assaults relating to his sexuality.

His allegations were unsubstantiated by an independent inquiry, and on Monday, the first day of an Employment Tribunal in Manchester, the 26-year-old of Bamber Bridge, Preston, was told he would not be compensated for his complaints against the fire service which he made in March last year. He then withdrew his complaints.

Now Lee believes the law has let him down and says he will use the Internet to publicise the details of the case so people can judge for themselves. He plans to publish his story under the working title: 'The Truth Behind the Fire Service'.

"I hope by this action it will make the fire service change and help someone else," said Lee. "I intend to release all information, name, addresses and all statements and internal memos to the public via the Internet.

"I feel deeply let down by our legal system and the Government for not protecting gay and lesbian people."

However, Chief Fire Officer Peter Holland said he was happy the outcome of Monday's hearing vindicated the fire service.

He said: "I am absolutely satisfied that this outcome confirms that the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service truly is open and welcoming to all members of our community irrespective of sexual orientation, gender, race or disability.

"I find it most regrettable that Mr Forshaw chose to use the media, both locally and nationally, to publicise allegations which were never substantiated, preventing me from challenging those allegations."

He refused to comment on Lee's threats to publish an expos on the Internet. The Citizen raised Lee's intention with the local police. While they were reluctant to comment on this particular case, due to not being aware of all the facts, they did say that people who put libellous information on the Internet in this country could be open to civil proceedings and, if documents were stolen before being made available on the Internet, the individual(s) could find themselves facing legal charges.

Lee's allegations date back to when he was a part-time worker at Bamber Bridge Fire Station. He claims he was constantly called 'gay' by his firefighter colleagues and physically assaulted with a towel. He also claims his locker had 'Lee's toilet' scrawled on it and he was asked by colleagues to graphically describe his bedroom activities.

Following Lee's complaints, an independent investigation was ordered by the then clerk to the fire authority and chief executive of the county council, Gordon Johnson.

The investigation, led by the director of human resources for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, Ann Conley, failed to substantiate any of Lee's allegations.