Council warned cops worker would go on shooting spree after management complaint

An environmental health officer has launched legal action after council bosses called police amid fears he’d go on an office shooting rampage.

Kenneth Prentice, who has worked for Glasgow City Council for 31 years, is to claim at an employment tribunal that the police action was designed to smear him.

Prentice, who is a licensed gun holder, said he fell out with ­senior management after he ­supported a colleague who had claimed she had been sexually discriminated against in 2017.

The dad of three’s claim will add that bosses at Glasgow City Council’s Land and ­Environmental Services then targeted him before he began his own work grievance.

His wife Yvonne said: “My husband is a diligent worker and has done nothing wrong.The police visit was nothing more than an attempt to smear his character.”

In December 2019 Prentice cited the council’s chief executive Annmarie O’Donnell as a witness before the police received a written complaint, – from an unknown council worker – about his behaviour a week later.

The letter said it wanted to “raise concerns” about Prentice, from Carnwath in Lanarkshire.

It said: “I have been advised Kenneth owns a shotgun, that he lives in a rural location and goes shooting…

“Both myself and colleagues are concerned about his recent behaviour and, to be blunt, I can foresee a scenario in which he brings that to work, particularly should the forthcoming
employment tribunal not go in his favour or his employment is terminated i.e. he has nothing left to lose.

“Those with experience of dealing with him at work say he is full of rage and simmering resentment, which he just about manages to keep a lid on.

“I find him to be intense, intimidating, bullying and, at times, aggressive.”

An armed response unit was sent to the home Prentice shares with accountant Yvonne and disabled son Harry on December 22.

Police officers removed four guns but returned them at the start of January and said they had no concerns. It is common for armed officers to visit properties of licensed gun holders if they get a complaint.

But Prentice’s legal team will claim the letter was part of a conspiracy to blacken his name.

A source close to the case said: “Ken is an extremely private person and doesn’t put anything on social media. He’s professional, goes to work, then goes home to his son and wife.

“Ken is a personable guy but rarely talks about his outside interests. He grew up on a farm, has owned a gun since he was 14 and shoots birds regularly. But he said he has never mentioned this to colleagues.

“He fears that after raising concerns about issues, he rattled the wrong cages. The police who came out said they were worried because he had been off work long-term with stress.

“That wasn’t true and he had only just left the office for his Christmas break.

He’s got his personnel records and there is nothing in them that says he is a hot-head or aggressive – or that he owns a gun.

“He believes friendly police officers told council officials he kept guns and they thought this could be a good way to get at him. There’s no other explanation as to how they knew.”

Yvonne added: “We’ve seen emails that show senior police officers were discussing the issue with council officials despite there being no allegations of ­criminality.

“The officers who came were very professional but we are alarmed as to how the ­information ended up in the possession of the council and how a non-criminal complaint has been dealt with.

“We think it might have been passed by officers to the council and have complained. But so far police have been unwilling to look at our complaint at all.”

Prentice, who was recently given a long service award by the council, has two separate victimisation claims against Glasgow City ­Council.

The cases are expected to be heard later this year. He refused to ­comment when approached at his home last week.

Chief Inspector Robin Ferguson, of Police Scotland’s Professional Standards Department, said: “Police
Scotland wrote to Mr Prentice in February last year outlining that an appropriate policing response prioritising public safety was made in relation to information provided and explained that our assessment was that the sharing of that
concern was genuine.

“We are reviewing the matters raised by Mr Prentice and will update him in due course.”

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said they could not comment because it was an ongoing legal matter.

Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletter here