I have been a Capt. with FlyBe for many years now, and find it quite offensive that some people here are keen to tar us all with the same brush.
In my 15+ years with FlyBe I have NEVER flown with anyone who has even contemplated 'going down the back for 30 mins' - F/O's and Capt's. This is a very rare event and if this Capt. was doing this on a regular basis it should have been dealt with ages ago. It is most definitely NOT 'general FlyBe practice'.
FlyBe.com - you may well know this Capt. but quite frankly you must admit that this practise is VERY wrong for several reasons - particularly after Sept. 11th. It doesn't matter how much of a direct routing you get or how quiet you think ATC are, you are being paid to do a job, not to be a passenger.
We're not talking about 10 hour long haul flights here, we are talking of 2-3 hours. By all means answer the call of nature but whilst doing so get one of the cabin crew to stay in the cockpit with the F/O and the cockpit door locked - standard FlyBe practise.
If you do not have time to eat then after you land, extend the turn-around to eat something and if necessary delay the flight. I have done so on many occasions. If the managers don't like the delay - stuff 'em - safety first.
This incident is a regrettable one and as you have read here the person in question has decided to jump before being pushed.