REDBRIDGE: 'Nazi' jibe DJ begins legal action against radio station (From This Is Local London)

REDBRIDGE: 'Nazi' jibe DJ begins legal action against radio station

9:44am Friday 2nd January 2009 in

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A DJ who was sacked for calling a leading Redbridge Councillor a "health Nazi" has begun legal action against his former employers.

Shock-jock Jon Gaunt was removed from his job at radio station TalkSport in November after making the comments during an interview with the council's head of Children's Services Michael Stark.

At the time the pair were discussing the council's new policy to stop smokers from fostering children.

He was suspended and then sacked a few weeks later, despite apologising during the same show.

In a statement, Mr Gaunt said: "I have tried to offer an olive branch to (head of TalkSport) Scott Taunton but he has declined my overtures.

"He claims he will not reinstate me despite the tens of thousands of e-mails that you (the public) have sent in and that he and his press boy have struggled to reply to.

"Therefore he has left me with no choice but to take legal action and that has now started."

"People keep asking me how many complaints there were about the interview with Councillor Stark and I can now tell you that according to Ofcom's own website there were only 16."

He added that he will be back on air "very soon."