A TEACHER from Greater Manchester who was jailed for firing an air pistol during an argument with yobs outside her home began her claim for unfair dismissal on Monday.

An employment tribunal will decide whether Linda Walker, 48, was wrongly dismissed from her £30,000-a-year teaching job.

She was sacked by council bosses in Salford after a disciplinary hearing last May.

Her initial appeal against her sacking from New Park High in Eccles, Salford, failed in July.

She was found guilty of affray and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear after a trial at Manchester Crown Court in March.

She was given a six-month jail sentence but was freed 36 days later after Appeal Court judges quashed her sentence, but ruled her conviction should stand.

The trial heard that Mrs Walker lost control and used the gun after her family and home were plagued by yobs.

She was sacked by the council, which argued that by getting a conviction Mrs Walker had committed gross misconduct and was unfit to be a teacher.

The tribunal case was brought by the NASUWT teachers' union.