A caretaker at a top private school was sacked after 24 years for not checking inside a building when he locked up.

David Woolley won £18,000 from King's School, Rochester, after an employment tribunal found he was unfairly dismissed.

Now a judgement has revealed the caretaker was sacked because he was disciplined twice over the same issue.

The 47-year-old was given a final written warning for not checking the school's conference centre properly on his end-of-day rounds in summer 2011. The school then pursued more disciplinary proceedings.

First it alleged he had been dishonest during interviews, a charge that was later not upheld.

Then prep school head Roger Overend began probing a new line that he had "put the health and safety of staff and pupils, including visitors... at risk" by not checking the building.

Another meeting was called nine months after the original issue and Mr Woolley was sacked.

Employment judge Anna Corrigan said the school was "genuine in their beliefs", but should not have pursued him twice.

She said: "Whilst the claimant was clearly guilty of misconduct, he had a final written warning for this and it was inappropriate for him to be disciplined again."

The tribunal heard Mr Woolley has since had more than 25 failed job applications because he could not give King's as a reference.

The caretaker, of Copperfield Road, Rochester, told the tribunal the instructions for the conference centre were "ludicrous".

He claimed his system existed without any problems and he stopped checking the building in agreement with catering staff because they were always there when he left.

This was despite written instructions in 2010 ordering him to check each building at the end of each day.

He added: "I feel I was sacked on a technicality. Before all this started I used to look forward to going to work. I loved it.

"I loved working with the children and the staff I dealt with day-to-day were fantastic.

"I hope no one will have to go through the same thing."

A spokesman for the £26,000-a-year school said: "King's is intending to pursue an appeal against the ruling."