Irish travellers win £24,000 damages over being refused entry to Wetherspoons

Delegates who attended a conference for Irish travellers have been awarded a total of £24,000 for the "distressing experience" of being refused entry to a Wetherspoon pub because of "racial stereotyping".

The incident happened at The Coronet on Holloway Road, north London, in November 2011 and involved the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain - now known as The Traveller Movement.

The Central London County Court was told the group included travellers, a police inspector, a barrister and a priest. Pub owners JD Wetherspoon denied allegations of discrimination on the grounds of race and ethnic background.

But Judge John Hand QC ruled that pub manager David Leach, who has since died, made "stereotypical assumptions" about Irish travellers and Romany gypsies.

Mr Leach refused entry to groups of delegates, saying he was concerned there might be trouble because the conference at the travellers' Resource Centre next to the pub was focusing on evictions from the Dale Farm traveller site in Essex.

He was also concerned because there had been previous disturbances at the centre in 2005 - before it was used by travellers - during an anarchist book fair which led to people needing hospital treatment.

But the judge, sitting with assessor Charmaine Brown, said Mr Leach's actions amounted to direct discrimination in the provision of services by Wetherspoon, contrary to the Equality Act 2010.

He awarded £3,000 compensation for "injury to feelings" to eight individual claimants turned away at the pub door.