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Islington Tribune - by TOM FOOT
Published: 6 March 2009

Christian registrar appeal bid thrown out

A CHRISTIAN registrar who refused to conduct gay weddings because it conflicted with her religious beliefs has lost an appeal against a tribunal’s rejection of her bid for discrimination damages.
Lillian Ladele, who lives in Finsbury, won a landmark discrimination claim against Islington Council in July last year. The 47-year-old was set to pocket thousands of pounds in compensation after a panel agreed she had been discriminated against by the Town Hall for her religious belief that all gay couples are sinners.
Islington Council appealed and the decision was overturned by a prominent judge at an Employment Appeal Tribunal hearing in December.
Ms Ladele’s legal team, bankrolled by the Christian Institute lobby group, then challenged the appeal tribunal decision – but the employment judge who heard the December appeal stood by his ruling this week.
Justice Patrick Elias, president of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT), said: “There was no direct discrimination on grounds of the claimant’s religion. There are no realistic grounds for saying that the action taken by the authority was not justified.”
Mike Judge, a spokesman for the Christian Institute, said: “It is obviously disappointing because we think there is an important issue of religious freedom at stake. We are now going to take the case to the Court of Appeal.”
Lib Dem finance chief Councillor John Gilbert said: “If, as we hope, this marks the end of the matter, many people will have cause for celebration.”

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