Zoo manager attacked owner and threatened to kill him in acrimonious love triangle

Fife Animal Center manager Kenneth Gibney lashed out and threatened to kill the owner in front of staff after claiming he had been belittled after a love triangle, a court heard

A zoo manager lashed out at the center’s owner and threatened to kill him after he claimed he was bullied as a love triangle boiled over, a court heard.

Kenneth Gibney was hired as head of the Fife Animal Center after it was bought out by animal experts Michael Knight and his partner Briony Taylor, the reported daily record.

But it led to clashes between Mr Knight and Gibney over the running of the zoo and the tense atmosphere worsened when Ms Taylor left her partner and began a relationship with the zoo manager.

The row saw accusations of bullying from Gibney before attacking Mr Knight in front of shocked staff at the center by knocking him over before kicking him in the body.

Now Gibney, who was released after the attack, has avoided jail after admitting to attacking Knight at the Fife Animal Center in Ladybank in February.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Mr Knight, originally from Essex, and Ms Taylor, from Wales, moved to Scotland to take over the zoo, only for the latter to end the relationship and start a new relationship with Gibney.

The court was told that Gibney, who still lives at the zoo with Ms Taylor, threatened to kill the company director and was eventually fired from his position for gross misconduct.

Gibney, 34, defending himself in court, told how he and Mr Knight had “a lot of problems”.

“He pissed me off in front of the staff I was managing at the time,” Gibney said.

“I tried to walk away and he said, ‘Don’t you dare walk away — I’m your manager now.’ So I told him to fuck off. He tried to make me small.

“I lost my composure and my professionalism. I’m embarrassed that I got here before you today. This is not my normal behavior.

“I admit that the actions I took were totally unacceptable and unprofessional. There was this type of behavior towards me for about a year.”

Prosecutor Gavin Burton told the court: “At 8 a.m. on Thursday 3 February, the applicant was at his appointment. He tracked down the accused to have a conversation with him to talk about a positive work environment.

“The defendant became defensive and told the complainant to fuck off. He continued to shout and verbally abuse the applicant and behaved aggressively.

“The complainant started recording this on his mobile phone. The defendant kept walking towards the complainant and knocked the laptop out of his hand.

“He hit him on the upper body, causing him to fall to the ground. Witnesses intervened and intervened between the parties. The defendant kicked the complainant’s feet and said, ‘You fucking idiot, I’m going to fucking kill you.’”

Sheriff Alistair Carmichael said: “There’s a kind of provocation going on in the background. You will be admonished, and that is a warning not to behave like that again.”