COUNTY NEWS: Man barred from pub for having epileptic fit

A man who was barred from a town centre pub for having an epileptic fit said he is '˜disgusted' with the way he has been treated.
Alan Edmends, 45, said he has been barred from the Three Fishes pub in Chapel Road, Worthing for having an epileptic fitAlan Edmends, 45, said he has been barred from the Three Fishes pub in Chapel Road, Worthing for having an epileptic fit
Alan Edmends, 45, said he has been barred from the Three Fishes pub in Chapel Road, Worthing for having an epileptic fit

Alan Edmends, 45, from Selden Road, said he was meeting a lady outside The Three Fishes pub in Chapel Road, Worthing, last week when the fit happened.

When he returned on November 9, Mr Edmends claimed he was asked to apologise for ‘causing a disturbance’ and was barred after he refused, despite explaining he had epilepsy.

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The former print factory worker said he cried when he got home: “I was pretty low from the seizures anyway, and I did not need it rubbing it my face that I suffer from them. It is a disability. I don’t know why I should be punished for having a disability.”

Eddie Gershon, JD Wetherspoon spokesman, said the manager barred Mr Edmends because he pushed a staff member and would not apologise.

But the father-of-five said he could not remember what happened during his fit and would not say sorry because of the circumstances.

He said the first thing he remembered afterwards was being inside the pub with police officers and a staff member who lent him her jumper to keep him warm.

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The police took him home. Mr Edmends criticised the pub for calling the police rather than an ambulance.

The day he was barred, he filed a formal complaint but the customer services team replied saying they would not be overturning the decision.

Mr Edmunds, who has been diagnosed with epilepsy for 20 years, said he was ‘disgusted’ by his treatment, which he described as ‘discrimination’: “If people have disabilities, don’t judge them. There is more to it than meets the eye.

“I’m just a normal bloke, but I suffer from epilepsy. It isn’t visible but I have got it; nothing I can do about it.”

Mr Gershon said: “The manager was unaware of his medical condition.

“If the gentleman wishes to speak with the manager at the pub, then hopefully the situation can be resolved.”

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