Heathrow ratcatcher sacked for pointing gun at colleague

 A Heathrow ratcatcher has been fired for pointing a shotgun at a colleague’s face and carrying the cocked weapon around part of the airport.

Andrew Cooke was dismissed for gross misconduct after the incident, which tribunal judge Steven Vowles said put the worker’s colleagues’ “safety in jeopardy”.

Mr Cooke was a senior airfield officer and part of his job was to shoot birds and vermin on the runway.

On Aug 3, 2016 he signed out a shotgun before entering the control room.

“Following… some reported swearing it is reported that he swung a broken shotgun into the cocked position with the barrels ending up pointing at Michael Brown and within close proximity of his face/upper body area,” said the investigating officer’s report, disclosed in the employment tribunal’s judgment this month.

The tribunal found that the dismissal was neither unfair nor wrongful.