Ex-salesman serves lawsuit on Easynet

Former employee lodges complaint with Met after CPS drops case.

A former senior salesman at Easynet has issued a writ against the ISP after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped a charge of false accounting against him due to lack of evidence.

Ken Goddard, who was a senior account manager at the London company in early 1998, has also made an official complaint to the Metropolitan Police, claiming negligent investigation.

Goddard was charged with false accounting on 13 July 1998, after it was alleged that he falsified an Easynet invoice to the National Council for Educational Training (NTEC) to the value of #392,340. The case came to trial at Clerkenwell Magistrates' Court on 27 October, but the CPS dropped the charge on 10 November due to insufficient evidence.

The charge came two months after Goddard resigned from Easynet. During his employment there, he won a contract to supply 3,280 Easynet dial-up accounts for NTEC under a pilot scheme to promote Net access in UK schools.

The scheme was worth more than #255,000 - understood to be one of Easynet's largest accounts - and NTEC had a budget of about #25 million set aside for national implementation of the programme.

Chief Inspector Pat McRory of the Metropolitan Police's 2 Area complaints unit, said: 'We can confirm that a complaint was received on 4 January by a 42-year-old man who alleges he was charged without sufficient investigation and that we failed to acquaint him with the allegations he would have to answer in an interview.'

Goddard told PC Dealer: 'I was made a scapegoat at Easynet and it has left a nasty taste. Having been dragged through the mill, I now want to leave it all behind me and restart my career.'

He issued the writ of summons against Easynet on 20 November 1998, claiming #8,102.84 plus interest for unpaid commission and expenses. Easynet is contesting it, claiming Goddard left without giving the proper period of notice.

Easynet was unavailable for comment.