YOU CAN’T BEAT BRITISH JUSTICE FOR IDIOCY

Procedural correctness trumps rationality in Britain:

A Manchester, UK employment tribunal ruled that a man was unfairly dismissed from his job as a health inspector because he wasn't given proper notice after having attacked a colleague with an ax. The council's attorney said he was "shocked and very disappointed." He said, "Our decision to dismiss Jim Robertson was based on the council's overriding concern to protect the public it serves and its own employees. We believe that in dismissing Jim Robertson, who worked with the public in the course of his duties, we made the right decision for the right reasons." Preston had served a jail term for murder prior to his job as the health inspector and was subsequently prosecuted for attempted rape.

From The Scotsman 2-Apr-03. Via Jerry Lerman.