Christian thrown off Sheffield course in anti-gay comments row loses High Court battle

A devout Christian who was thrown off a University of Sheffield course after being accused of posting anti-gay marriage comments online has lost his High Court battle.

Felix Ngole, who is from Barnsley, claimed he was lawfully expressing a traditional Christian view and complained that university bosses unfairly stopped him completing a postgraduate degree in social work.

Officials at the Christian Legal Centre, which had backed Mr Ngole, said the decision was wrong and would have a "chilling" effect.

Deputy High Court Judge Rowena Collins Rice has ruled that university bosses acted within the law following a High Court trial in London.

Mr Ngole had argued that his rights to freedom of speech and thought, enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, had been breached.

But lawyers representing the university argued that he showed ''no insight'' and said the decision to remove him from the course was fair and proportionate.

Mr Ngole posted comments two years ago, when in his late 30s, the judge was told. He was taking part in an debate on a Facebook page about Kim Davis, a state official in the US state of Kentucky, who refused to register same-sex marriages.

Mr Ngole said he had argued that Mrs Davis's position was based on the "Biblical view of same-sex marriage as a sin".

He said he was making a "genuine contribution" to an important public debate and said he was "entitled to express his religious views".

University bosses said he had posted comments on a publicly accessible Facebook page which were "derogatory of gay men and bisexuals".