A court has penalised a business owner more than $226,000 for their “sheer belligerence” in refusing to take responsibility for underpaying a former employee. The business owner had sent threatening messages and dismissed the employee after he took personal leave. The business owner was found guilty of 14 contraventions including failure to minimum wages, penalty rates and leave over four months. The case is one of a number recently where the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has pursued business owners seeking penalties for where they have underpaid workers.