Gig staff eject disabled man they thought was drunk

A disabled antheral has said helium was “unfairly removed” from a euphony lawsuit successful London, aft venue unit mistook his aesculapian information for being drunk.

Matthew Parrott, 48, from Oxford took his wife, Beth, to London to ticker Glass Animals astatine The O2 Arena connected 7 November but missed the header enactment erstwhile helium was removed aft suffering a fall.

He told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme that their grounds for him being intoxicated was that helium was “stumbling erstwhile helium walked”.

The O2 apologised and said it was reviewing unit training.

Mr Parrott has had lymphoma, a benignant of humor crab which impacts the immune system, since 2007.

Three years ago, helium had a bony marrow transplant and, arsenic a effect of this, suffers from graft-versus-host-disease. This causes neuropathy - nervus harm - successful his feet, among different symptoms.

“Sometimes, I locomotion successful an awkward way. At the concert, I tripped and couldn't regain my footing. It was an unfortunate accident,” helium said.

“It wasn’t a terrible injury. I felt okay, truthful we conscionable wanted to spell backmost to our seats and bask the show. We refused to fto the autumn dampen our spirits.”

Once he’d been seen by aesculapian unit astatine The O2, Mr Parrott says helium was met by the venue’s information manager, alongside a radical of information guards.

“They refused to fto maine backmost in. They said I was intoxicated, which I wasn’t.

“I tried precise overmuch to explicate that the autumn wasn’t a effect of drinking excessively overmuch alcohol, and that it was due to the fact that I person this aesculapian condition. But we were escorted retired and couldn’t spot the amusement astatine all.

“I had 3 beers implicit the people of 4 and a fractional hours. We were celebrating my wife’s birthday. She had the aforesaid amount, and nary 1 was trying to propulsion her out.”

A petition for a reimbursement of his tickets, which outgo £157.70 for the pair, was initially rejected.

"At the time, I offered to instrumentality a breathalyser trial - but they refused,” said Mr Parrott.

Mr Parrott has present been contacted straight by unit from The O2. He has received a afloat refund for the Glass Animals show, alongside a brace of complimentary tickets and portion vouchers for an upcoming performance of his choice.

In a statement, the O2 said: “We were atrocious to perceive of this and our teams person been successful interaction with Mr Parrot [sic] straight and person reached a solution connected this case.”

It said it prided itself connected being "accessible and inclusive" and had precocious been recognised by disablement charity, Attitude is Everything.

“In this instance, we would similar to apologise to Mr Parrot [sic] for the mistake and emphasise that we are perpetually reviewing our procedures and unit grooming measures to guarantee that they’re up to day and acceptable for purpose.

"We’re committed to gathering connected the enactment done by our teams truthful acold to guarantee that everyone who visits The O2 has a best-in-class experience.”

Matthew Parrott says helium wants much radical to talk up erstwhile they consciousness they person suffered injustice.

“When you travel up against The O2, you consciousness helpless. I deliberation it’s casual to consciousness resigned to conscionable accepting that these radical tin bargain a peculiar nighttime from you.

“I’m definite determination are a batch of radical who person akin stories to me, who haven’t had the accidental to talk up and constituent retired these injustices.

"It’s unfair to beryllium treated this mode due to the fact that you locomotion somewhat otherwise to idiosyncratic else.”

A spokesperson for the foundation Attitude is Everything, which campaigns to amended accessibility astatine euphony events, said they were “concerned” to larn astir Mr Parrott’s experience.

“We volition beryllium reaching retired to the organisers to question clarification astir what has happened successful this case.”

“We invited feedback connected experiences of unrecorded events from disabled customers via our webpage and question to enactment with organisers to place barriers and unafraid lasting solutions erstwhile issues bash occur.”