A whistleblower who was named in the alleged suicide note of Britain’s first Black fire chief, Wayne Brown, is to receive police protection during the inquest into the firefighter’s death.

Ben Walker, a fire safety expert who accused Mr Brown of fabricating qualifications on his CV, reported receiving threatening messages in the wake of Mr Brown’s sudden death in January 2024. He has since been issued a threat to life warning by police and is now under protection ahead of the Birmingham Coroner’s Court inquest, which begins Monday.

Mr Brown, 50, was appointed chief fire officer of West Midlands Fire Service in April 2023, becoming the first Black person to lead a UK fire service. He died just one day after the fire service confirmed an internal investigation into allegations regarding his qualifications, particularly a required business administration credential for the £170,000-a-year post.

Despite his distinguished 30-year career — which included responding to the Grenfell Tower fire and multiple terror incidents — Mr Brown’s sudden death has cast a long shadow over the leadership and internal culture of England’s second-largest fire brigade.

Ben Walker, who has launched a £7.2 million legal claim against the fire service and West Midlands Police, said he has received disturbing online threats, including LinkedIn messages urging him to “stop hiding” and demanding his home address.

“The police are not taking any chances,” a source told UK News in Pictures. “Someone has been spoken to about the incident. The profile which sent the messages was linked to him but the communication data indicates it was sent from outside the UK, so it can’t be proved it was within UK jurisdiction.”

Emails confirm police traced a social media profile linked to the suspect but were unable to confirm UK jurisdiction, complicating prosecution options.

Mr Walker was previously charged with harassing Mr Brown, but the case was dropped earlier this year due to lack of evidence. His accusations remain central to the inquest, which will place further scrutiny on how the fire service and police handled both the allegations and the aftermath of Mr Brown’s death.

A chaperone or other protection measures are expected to be in place for Mr Walker as the inquest proceeds.