An announcement was made late today by the permanent secretary, Leslie Evans stating the following:

"Earlier this year I was asked by the First Minister to carry out a full review into the circumstances surrounding an image of a Marine Scotland employee taped to a chair. 
I am clear that this was completely unacceptable, whatever the circumstances. 
A comprehensive internal review has now concluded. The Scottish Government has robust disciplinary procedures to address behaviour that falls below expected standards and I am satisfied that these have been followed thoroughly and objectively in relation to this incident.
A broad set of actions are underway in Marine Scotland to ensure a working environment which meets both the Civil Service Code and Scottish Government Standards of Behaviour.
I do not normally comment publicly on staffing matters but I am issuing this short statement to update the public record given the previous parliamentary and wider interest in this issue.
My unwavering commitment to ensuring a positive workplace for all employees of the Scottish Government remains."

What has been omitted from the permanent secretary's announcement today is the fact that nothing has been done for DeeAnn.  An investigation was carried out but nothing has been resolved to address the matters for how DeeAnn was treated.  She does not have her job back, there is no talk of reinstating her to her job and nothing has been offered as a way forward.  No apologies were made but many excuses.  Marine Scotland senior management team are and will be taking charge on how this matter will go forward to make it a much better place but yet the senior management team have been reported on being the architects of the bullying and harassment culture that exists within Marine Scotland Compliance for many years.  Until certain members of the management team are replaced the bullying culture will always exist.   How can DeeAnn be treated fairly, given the support and protection needed to move forward? 

There once was a man and he had this bright and beautiful dream.  He was a senior member of Marine Scotland staff.  He was so powerful and certain of his dream he put it on a public domain for nearly 6 months so that everyone could read of his very calculated and cunning plan. "His dream was to set DeeAnn up after she reported her fellow male fishery officer for throwing a punch at a sweet innocent fishery assistant and when no one did anything about this, he along with 2 of his cronies put their plan in place.  He was determined, whatever it took to discipline and then dismiss DeeAnn.  His dream started in 2011 and continues to this day by his cronies (who hung him out to dry and let him take the fall for this mess)  that have no other choice but to continue what they started in fear that they be found out and then the human resources would no longer listen to them.  He even went as far as to state that he wanted to put DeeAnn in a room with a senior fishery officer who threatened to punch her in the face so they could abuse each other.  The senior officer sat facing DeeAnn everyday and left her in a state of fear when there were 3 other rooms that he could have used but instead he sat less than 10 feet away from her.  These were some of the sick and mind blowing tactics they used to mentally torture her.   

DeeAnn has not done anything that could have been a criminal matter.  She has not accepted monetary bribes, she has not given out important and valuable fishing ground data or the location of the marine protected vessels and nor has she made fraudulent claims for monetary value.  What she is guilty of is protecting her colleagues and herself from being treated very badly and then saying it stops now.

Current and former members of Marine Scotland staff has lodged complaints about these senior members but yet they are like Teflon as they call themselves.  I call them cowards because they had to pursue a woman for over 10 years who stood up to the lot of them.  The amount of man hours and money spent to try and destroy a whistleblower because she done the right thing.  Seriously they should be ashamed of themselves. 

So we ask that the First Minister speak with DeeAnn so she can learn the truth and stop allowing others to sugar coat their words to make themselves look so efficient.  It should never been on the back of what happened to DeeAnn for the Scottish Ministers to step up and do something.  DeeAnn has been reporting this for years so she could work in a safe and protected work environment.  Instead she was ignored by human resources and mocked by management.  The change needs to start at the top of the food chain and not the bottom.  

We will not give up.