“I’m not going to risk my life, my health is more important than their pub”
Peter Hogan claims he has been discriminated against because of his disability(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A disabled man says he walked out of a Liverpool city centre pub in tears. Peter Hogan has frequented Tess Riley’s on Great Charlotte Street near Liverpool Central for “many years” however, the 66-year-old, from Moreton, claims he was recently “discriminated against” after the venue refused to turn the bright lights down.
Peter was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1991. His condition means bright or flashing lights can trigger seizures and he feared the lights were about to cause a fit. He claims that instead of “supporting him” staff told him they wouldn’t turn the lights off.
He said: “I’ve got a lot of health issues but my main issue is epilepsy, I struggle with bright lights. When I first started going to Tess Riley’s I monitored the lights with my disability and it used to be fine.
“Recently the lights in the pub have been bothering me and I can’t escape them. I’d started having to hide away from the lights so that I could bear it and it doesn’t trigger my epilepsy, but why should I have to hide in a pub because of my disability.”
Peter says he asked the live artist one evening if they could turn the lights down however claims they said: “If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.”
The 66-year-old said: “They know the reason why I’m asking then to turn the lights down, I was really upset and I walked out. I walked out in tears, I went and sat outside and people asked if I was ok but I felt like I was going to have a fit.”
Peter was diagnosed with epilepsy in 1991(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Tess Riley’s says it has provided “numerous alternatives” to Peter however he “insists” on sitting in a particular seat in the pub. The pub has explained the light which has been bothering Peter is linked to the sound system and can’t be switched off.
Following the incident Peter wrote a letter addressed to the pub manager, asking to resolve the issue. He said: “I went into the pub after I’d delivered the letter and asked if the manager had received it.
“She said she did but never got in contact with me or phoned me like I’d asked her to in the letter. She then told me they can’t turn the lights down just for me. I said this is discrimination now because what if I have a fit inside the pub, they wouldn’t have a clue what to do. If I just collapsed in there they would just think I was drunk, they wouldn’t have a clue – it’s worrying.”
Tess Riley’s says it “values” all of its customers and met with Peter in person to explain the situation. However, Peter claims he is being discriminated against.
He said: “I’m a human being, I don’t want special treatment I just want to be looked after. The lights are very bright but now they have more, when I walk in that pub they are in your face. It’s their duty of care to look after their customers.
“Just because it’s not visible doesn’t mean I don’t have health problems, thats why I wear this lanyard [pointing to the sunflower lanyard around his neck]. I’m not going to risk my life, my health is more important than their pub.”
Peter has a number of health issues(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Peter told the ECHO how he’d visit the pub every Tuesday to help support its charity night. He said: “They have raised loads for charity, every month they raise money for different charities and it’s great. This is not about the pub, I have so many friends in there, this is about the way I have been spoken to by management.”
A spokesperson for Tess Riley’s said: “The team at Tess Riley’s is saddened that we could not bring this situation to an amicable conclusion.
“Peter has been a customer for a number of years and regularly frequents our Tuesday club, which has done wonderful things for numerous charities and in actual fact raised nearly £1,400 for Peter to donate to a cancer charity just over 12 months ago.
“We value all of our customers and actually met with Peter in person and explained the situation, as unfortunately the light in question is linked to the sound system and therefore cannot be switched off.
“We have provided numerous alternatives in regard to seating etc however Peter is insisting that he must sit in this particular seat at that particular orientation.
“We hate to lose any of our customers and will always try our best to ensure that doesn’t happen unfortunately this time it seems unavoidable.”
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, which are caused by sudden bursts of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.