A Waitrose worker has won nearly £50,000 in compensation after he was sacked for scaring his boss by texting him 'I found a knife'. Mohammed Zahangir Kabir was fired from his job as a sales assistant at the upmarket supermarket chain after his 'joke' texts were read as a threat.
His boss, assistant team manager Matthew Ford, told his bosses he was scared Mr Kabir would turn up to work with a knife after he was texted 'when will i see you next'. Mr Ford also thought a series of emojis of a smiley face with heart eyes Mr Kabir sent him to be ‘psychotic’, an employment tribunal heard.
The police were called and the Waitrose worker - who had been with the company for 17 years - was searched when he arrived for his shift. Despite the police taking no further action, Mr Kabir was sacked for serious misconduct for causing Mr Ford 'distress'.
