A SECURITY guard was fired after ‘assaulting’ a man banned from a shopping centre, a tribunal heard.

Lee Goodyear was sacked from his job at the Mall, Blackburn, after he was caught on CCTV ‘threatening’ a man before punching him out of view of the camera.

Mr Goodyear, of Grindleton Road, Blackburn, was dismissed from his job with Vision Security Group (VSG) Ltd, which manages security at the Mall, last May following a disciplinary hearing.

Mr Goodyear claimed unfair dismissal at an employment tribunal hearing in Manchester.

He had been on duty on May 5 last year when two drunk men banned from the Mall showed up in the shopping centre.

Mr Goodyear, who was sent with colleagues to eject the pair, grabbed one by the arm, took him outside the centre and pushed him, the tribunal heard.

Seconds later, the two disappeared from view of the CCTV, during which time the drunk man was punched by Mr Goodyear, the hearing was told. Shortly afterwards, he received treatment from an ambulance.

Head of security Ronnie O’Keefe had said CCTV clearly showed Mr Goodyear ‘threatened’ the man shortly before he punched him.

He said he and bosses at VSG believed the incident amounted to assault. Mr Goodyear was subsequently fired for gross misconduct.

However, cross-examined by Rosie Stringer, for Mr Goodyear, Mr O’Keefe denied that the sacking had anything to do with complaints about his own relationship with a female security guard and alleged preferential treatment.

Mr O’Keefe said: “That is mud-raking. He has gone to the bottom of the dirt can.” PC Leo Noctor who had witnessed the aftermath of the incident, said: “I feel that Lee legitimately removed him with reasonable force.”

Mr Goodyear said he had punched the man in self-defence after he had threatened to ‘knock him out’. He said Mr O'Keefe had been motivated to sack him because of his complaints about his boss’s alleged workplace relationship.

Miss Stringer said Mr O’Keefe ‘clearly had a grudge’ against Mr Goodyear and the dismissal had been ‘excessive’.

Employment judge Rebecca Howard reserved judgement to a later date.