Whether a dismissal is within the band of reasonable responses will be judged based on the knowledge of the person making the decision after a reasonable investigation, and not on the knowledge of other employees.
If a reasonable investigation did not reveal a fact known to another manager (in this case a mitigating circumstance), the employer is not deemed to have that knowledge when assessing whether dismissal was a reasonable response. (Orr v Milton Keynes Council, CA)
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