To clarify a few things.
It is CX policy to ensure all gear pins are removed from gear legs during the walk around, unless there is a reason for them to be in there e.g. tyre change.
The only pin that should remain in is the nose wheel steering disconnect pin, which is the pin sighted after pushback.
The particular Captain, who had conducted the pre flight inspection is #2 to the Director of Flight Operations i.e. #2 on the CX pecking order of pilots. No demotion of any apparent form was bestowed upon him. The only inkling of an occurence, was a notice to crew, detailing how vigilant one should be during a pre flight, especially when its rainy, and windy, and dark, when gear pins can get wrapped around the leg. (It was daylight, dry, and the atis was something like 6 knots)
The point I believe my bus driving colleague is trying to make, is that if it had been any of us plebs who had doen this, then the punishment would have been a little more suited to the crime. In CX performing these kind of atrocities will usually get you a demotion of some kind. e.g. Training Captain demoted to Line Captain etc. Or as in the case of our recently re-instated ex-captain now f/o, a major demotion (for a genuine roster changemis read)
There should be one rule for all in this game