Fired for wrestling shark – while on sick leave

A British man who gained worldwide fame for wrestling a shark away has been sacked after employers found out

A British man who has been hailed as a hero after he wrestled a shark away from attacking kids on an Australian beach has been sacked.

This was because Paul Marshallsea, 62, was actually on sick leave from his job in Great Britain when his act of bravery took place.

Marshallsea and his wife work for a children’s charity in Wales, but took a two-month break from their jobs, claiming work-related stress.

However, when his employers saw the video of him shark wrestling, they felt that the couple had been dishonest and fired them, according to a report by The Telegraph.

“Whilst unfit to work you were well enough to travel to Australia and, according to recent news footage of yourself in Queensland, you allegedly grabbed a shark by the tail and narrowly missed being bitten by quickly jumping out of the way," read the letter addressed to them.

"The breakdown of the trustees' confidence and trust in you and your ability to perform the role is so great that we find that dismissal is the only course of action we can recommend," it continued.

Marshallsea argued that the couple had gone on holiday at the advice of a doctor, who said that a vacation might help relieve stress.

He added that he and his wife were working seven days a week, and severely “burned out” from the stress.

"You think being in charge and running a children's charity, they would have patted me on the back and congratulated me. But to sack us both without any sort of discussions first is just disgusting," he was quoted as saying.

 

Recent articles & video

Are provinces properly using funds to recruit, retain healthcare workers?

UPS laying off hundreds of workers at Ontario air hub

Ottawa sees surge in Driver Inc. fines in past 6 months

About 800 million employees at risk as world gets hotter: study

Most Read Articles

Federal minimum wage rising April 1

Dollar Tree closing 1,000 stores

Can an employer change its contractual obligations after termination?