'From the horse's mouth!'
I am the wife of one of the ATCO's involved in the incident at Coventry Airport. I have never taken much interest in this site, but feel compelled on this occasion to pass comment.
My husband and I have been together for 26 years and aviation, be it flying, controlling, reading about etc. has been his life, man and boy.
The incident on October 12th has not only possibly ruined his career (20 yrs an ATCO) but also but a huge strain on our family life. My husband now finds it difficult to go near an airport terminal or tower, is still suffering from horrendous nightmares and is suffering severe depression, partly due to the prospect that his lifelong career may have been destroyed by this one man's 'moment of madness'.
For the likes of those thinking along the lines of 'Tom the Tenor' I can only say that I hope you are never on the receiving end of such an incident. I have not experienced anything like this before, it is extremely frightening watching your loved one struggling to come to terms with what has happened and the way in which it has affected him.
I don't expect sympathy and violins, but wanted to try to explain from first hand experience, the consequences of Mr Lees actions.