A Border Force officer was dismissed from his job after using a government-owned vehicle to make unauthorized trips to visit his dying father and deliver medication to his dog. Alexander Casteel, who had worked for the Border Force since February 2019 and was stationed at Glasgow Airport, was using the company car while on a training course. During this time, he made three detours from his assigned route: two 18-mile trips to see his terminally ill father and a 10-minute stop to drop off dog medication at his daughter's home. These detours added over two hours and 80 miles to his journey. The unauthorized movements were detected through vehicle tracking technology, leading to Casteel’s termination for gross misconduct. Casteel challenged his dismissal in an employment tribunal, arguing that it was unfair. However, the judge rejected his claims. As a civil servant, Casteel was required to follow strict rules prohibiting the use of government vehicles for personal reasons. Any unauthorized use could result in a criminal offense and would not be covered by insurance unless approved in advance. In August 2025, Casteel’s manager, Gary Ollerton, emailed him about "obscure locations" detected by the vehicle tracking system and asked for an explanation. Casteel responded that one detour was to drop off medication for his dog, while the other two were to visit his father, who had become incoherent. The first deviation occurred in March 2025 while traveling from Glasgow to Birmingham, and the later incidents took place in July 2025 while Casteel was in Runcorn, Cheshire, attending a training course. He drove to Chester to visit his father, who lived in a care home. These detours lasted 40 minutes and 90 minutes, respectively. The tribunal found that Casteel had not obtained prior approval for the trips, did not document the changes to his route, and would not have been insured for such use. The ruling stated that his actions constituted gross misconduct, and his dismissal was justified. Casteel claimed he had been bullied by colleagues and would have sought permission retroactively if he had not felt intimidated. Employment Judge Michelle Sutherland noted that it was reasonable for Casteel’s manager to request an explanation and emphasized that Casteel was expected to uphold the Civil Service values of integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality. The judge also pointed out that Casteel should have known that using an official vehicle for personal use was against the rules.