A zoo owner in Fife supposedly clung to the bonnet of a woman's car, in the latest incident to affect the animal park.
The love triangle bust-up reportedly happened after Fife Zoo director Reginald Knight confronted Briony Taylor, after she dumped his son for a new hire at the venue. Knight, 70, admitted to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in July.
He admitted preventing her from entering her car before placing his body on the car bonnet during the face-to-face confrontation. Solicitor Robin Beattie, defending, said Knight was upset because Ms Taylor had been involved in a relationship with his son prior to her becoming involved with Kenneth Gibney, reports the Daily Record.
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Mr Beattie said his client had helped set up the zoo company and had wanted to remove Ms Taylor as a director in the wake of her "infidelity." He said Knight was "under the impression she had been sacked" and he had behaved in the way described in court when he had seen her at the zoo premises.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Knight confronted Ms Taylor a month after Mr Gibney admitted attacking his son Michael Knight. Kenneth Gibney escaped punishment at the same court in June last year after he admitted booting Mr Knight jnr while he was on the ground.
The spectacular fall out took place inside Fife Zoo as under-fire manager Gibney reacted to being confronted by director and founder Mr Knight. Mr Knight set up the zoo - in an echo of the Matt Damon movie We Bought A Zoo - with his partner Briony Taylor. But Ms Taylor ended the relationship and formed a new relationship with Gibney.
Gibney lashed out in front of other staff and pushed his boss over before kicking him on the body while he was lying on the ground in the Ladybank-based zoo. Gibney threatened to kill the company director and was ultimately sacked from his role for gross misconduct.
Fiscal depute Gavin Burton told the court: "At 8am on Thursday 3 February the complainer was at his employment. He took his laptop into the zoo.
"He traced the accused in order to have a discussion with him, to discuss having a positive working environment. There appeared to be some form of ongoing disciplinary proceedings.
"The accused became defensive and told the complainer to f**k off. He continued to shout and swear at the complainer and was behaving aggressively.
"The complainer began to record this on his mobile phone. The accused kept advancing towards the complainer and slapped the laptop out of his hands.
"He pushed him on the upper body, causing him to fall to the ground. Witnesses intervened and stood between the parties," Mr Burton said.
"The accused was kicking at the complainer's feet and said 'you fucking idiot, I'm going to fucking kill you.' The complainer walked away and contacted police."
Gibney, 35, of Fife Zoo, Ladybank, admitted assaulting Michael David Knight in the animal park on 3 February last year by pushing him to the ground and kicking him on the body. He also admitted acting in a threatening or abusive manner "likely to cause fear or alarm" by shouting, swearing, acting aggressively and uttering threats of violence.
Gibney, defending himself in court, said he took out a grievance against Mr Knight and an independent party was brought in to manage the dispute.
"An alternative director was brought in to deal with the grievance," Gibney said. "He bullied and harassed me and he resigned. That made Michael my line manager again."
"I had a lot of problems. I made a comment about the enclosure being sub-standard and animal welfare concerns. The rest of the staff approached Michael about this.
"He approached me to have what he called a 'line in the sand' conversation. He antagonised me in front of the staff I was managing at the time.
"What is missing from his recording is the first part of the conversation. I tried to walk away and he said 'don't you dare walk away - I'm your line manager now.'
"That's when I told him to f**k off. He wouldn't leave me alone. He was continuing to follow me with the laptop. I cleared him away from me by pushing him.
"He was trying to belittle me. I tried to end that conversation and have a proper meeting where it's recorded, rather than in the middle of a field when I'm trying to get my staff ready.
"I lost my composure and my professionalism. I no longer work there. I was put through a disciplinary procedure and let go for gross misconduct.
"I feel embarrassed I have ended up here in front of you today. This isn't my normal behaviour. This was me being pushed to a point.
"I was the manager of Fife Zoo. My partner is also a director and shareholder of the business. She is on sick leave because of actions taken against her.
"I had turned Fife Zoo into a more positive environment," he said. "I had put my love and passion into this business and had been taken advantage of at a time where I was no longer needed.
"There was about a year's worth of this type of behaviour towards me. It antagonised me because I knew I had put everything into the business.
"We still live on site so I still have to live this every day. I admit the actions I have taken were completely unacceptable and unprofessional.
"Given the circumstances I had been pushed to the absolute limit. It was last April when they started bullying me. Everything has been twisted round to point at me."
Sheriff Alistair Carmichael said: "You have no previous convictions along these lines. I'm going to take the view that what happened was entirely out of character.
"You have presented a very clear and candid mitigation so I'm prepared to assess this as being out of character. There's background provocation of sorts.
"You will be admonished and that is a warning not to behave this way again." The parties declined to comment.
Reginald Knight was also admonished by Sheriff Jillian Martin-Brown.
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