Man sacked for porn video claimed sound was of a goose

A COUNCIL worker who accidentally played pornography in a meeting was sacked after a tribunal rejected his “implausible story” that the noises were made by a goose.

David West, an electrician for Redditch borough council, left 100 of his colleagues stunned during a meeting after opening a Whatsapp message containing footage of a woman loudly making “sexual moans”.

The noise lasted for around 30 seconds, causing staff to break out into awkward laughter, an employment tribunal in Birmingham heard.

When confronted by managers, Mr West opted to create an “implausible story”, claiming the noises had been from a video of a “goose honking”.

Mr West told colleagues that the phone belonged to his wife and he had only used it at the end of the meeting to check if she had messaged him while she was sick and off work.

Geese had been gathering near his recently bought house as it was next to a trout pool, Mr West added, and the Whatsapp message was meant to be a “joke” sent to his wife by a male friend.

However, onlookers at the staff briefing saw Mr West “frantically” tapping on his mobile and deleting the X-rated video, the tribunal heard.

After Mr West was sacked for the incident in January 2019 he sued the council, claiming he had been a victim of unfair dismissal and breach of contract. The tribunal dismissed his claims, ruling that “on the balance of probabilities” the sounds were of a sexual nature and not of a goose.