Sacked employee jailed over £175k rampage

A sacked employee who caused £175,000 (€206,000) worth of damage when he went on a rampage at his former workplace has been jailed for 20 months.

Wayne Crook, 40, was “hell bent on revenge” when he attacked every room at Bristol Flying Centre with a hammer.

Crook smashed windows and doors, the company’s vehicle, computers, and daubed the words “gross misconduct” in blood on one wall.

Every desk, toilet, and phone was broken in the “systematic” destruction of the company, which handles business aviation for Bristol Airport.

Bristol Crown Court was told Crook was furious when he was dismissed from Bristol Flying Centre after moving an aircraft in a hanger — something he was not qualified to do. He began proceedings for an employment tribunal but accepted a settlement from the company weeks before the case was due to be heard.

Cook was left insulted by the amount paid and broke into Bristol Flying Centre’s premises on Jun 6 by smashing two windows with a hammer.

Judge Martin Picton told Cook — who admitted charges of burglary and criminal damage — that the destruction he went on to cause could have led to the closure of the company.

The judge said: “Whatever resentment and anger you felt about the process that had led to your dismissal and the failure to pursue your complaint through an employment tribunal — none of that can justify what you did.

“You chose to travel some distance to the Bristol Flying Centre and embarked upon a course of wanton destruction that must have taken a little while to achieve.

“You caused a simply enormous amount of damage. That was what you set out to do. You damaged the premises with a sense of resentment and you caused a huge amount of harm.”

He sentenced Cook to 20 months in custody and enforced a restraining order preventing Cook from contacting present and former employees of Bristol Flying Centre or visiting the premises after his release.

Cook, of Banwell in Somerset, remained emotionless as the sentence was passed. The court heard initial clean up took 18 hours and repairs are still being carried out.