 Following repeated unsuccessful attempts to resume his career, Pickering suspected that he had been "blacklisted" for his whistleblowing at Portsmouth.In 2000, an inquiry by Elaine Storkey investigated his concerns that letters from a recruitment consultancy specialising in high-level educational appointments, Saxton Bampfylde Hever, "did not contain the truth".She found Pickering's concerns to be justified, concluding that