A woman with diabetes has received a £2,000 ($2,600) payout after gig staff took away her bottle of Lucozade.
Twenty-year-old Kayla Hanna went to a Red Hot Chilli Peppers gig back in August 2016 and, as she needs to make sure she can quickly top up her blood sugar levels, brought along a bottle of Lucozade with her.
However, as she passed through security at the Boucher Road playing fields, she was stopped and had the bottle confiscated.
Kayla tried to explain to staff from Eventsec Ltd that she has Type 1 diabetes as well as showing them her insulin pack. She even showed them her diabetes tattoo, but they wouldn't budge and told her they had a strict policy preventing her from entering with her own drink.
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Kayla said: "I told her [ the security guard] of my condition and showed her the tattoos on my wrist which indicate I have diabetes.
"She said that 'anyone could have that' so I also showed her my insulin pack and the meter used to check my levels.
"She consulted with another guard and they insisted that they had a strict policy and they would not allow me to bring the drink inside."
She then explained that once inside the venue she began to feel 'anxious and upset'.
Kayla added: "I stood away from the area near the stage where my friends were because I was afraid something would happen to me and I would not have the Lucozade.
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"This had never happened me at other concerts I went to.
"I really hope that, now this issue has been brought to light, it won't happen again to me or other people who live with diabetes."
After the gig, Kayla decided to get in touch with the Equality Commission which helped support her while she brought a case against the firm under the Disability Discrimination Act.
At Belfast County Court Judge Gilpin ruled in her favour and found that Eventsec had failed to provide a 'reasonable adjustment to its policy'.
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Mary Kitson, the senior legal officer for the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland said: "In this case, the company should have made arrangements to ensure that Kayla could have accessed Lucozade during the concert if needed; for example, by directing her to its own medical centre at the venue and providing her with a bottle of Lucozade.
"That would have been a simple adjustment and would have met her medical needs. The court has ruled that this was a breach of the law and awarded Kayla £2,000."
Source: The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland
Featured Image Credit: Equality Commission for Northern IrelandTopics: UK News, Northern Ireland