Victim of sectarian abuse awarded almost £80,000

A Catholic bus driver who suffered sectarian abuse from two colleagues has been awarded almost £80,000 compensation for religious discrimination.

Gerald Duffy, 42, from Ballymena, suffered five years of abuse. He had a Union flag waved in his face and was warned he would be burnt out of his home and would be shot if the Troubles resumed.

The Fair Employment Tribunal awarded Mr Duffy £79,161 and concluded he “endured a series of acts of discriminatory harassment over a lengthy period”.

The tribunal also criticised the investigation by Ulsterbus into the case including a lack of official understanding for his concern. Their investigation into the events were described as being “dismissive and high-handed”, by three industrial relations experts.

They said the failure to substantiate his claims was related to: “Their apparent lack of understanding and to do what was required to carry out such an investigation.”

The tribunal found that between 1995 and 2000, Mr Duffy was subjected to acts which were “particularly offensive and hurtful”.

He received derogatory remarks about the Pope, was told he would be burned out of the Protestant housing estate where he lived and he also received criticism for wearing a crucifix when he was driving a busload of bandsmen through a nationalist protest on the Ormeau Road in 1999. He was also taunted about Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness being made education minister.

The payment was rewarded for financial loss, injury to feelings and personal injury.

(JM/KMcA)