Courts / Ireland / Report

BOI race complaint rejected after evidence customer was 'very rude'

Summary

In a tribunal hearing, the complaint that a Bank of Ireland teller refused service to Janson Kelebeng on race grounds was rejected. Kelebeng alleged that the teller said the bank "didn't serve black people" after he explained that he spoke loudly because he was African. He also claimed the teller told him he could not use a debit card on his savings account and that he was "ordered from the building" by the branch security guard. The teller denied making any reference to Kelebeng's race or refusing him service, and a colleague corroborated that Kelebeng was "very rude" to both the teller and the guard. The guard said Kelebeng was "aggressive" and called him an "old man". The adjudicator found the bank's evidence more credible, concluded no prohibited conduct occurred, and dismissed the complaint under the Equal Status Act 2000. The case was represented by Beibhinn Murphy BL for Kelebeng and Barry Walsh of Fieldfisher LLP for the bank.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: BOI race complaint rejected after evidence customer was 'very rude'. Procedural stage: trial

When:

• 23 July Hearing Or Sentence
• 2024-05-08 Publication

Why: His evidence was that when he told the teller he spoke as he did because he was African, the teller's response was that the bank "didn't serve black people" and that she would not be serving him. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Trial

Read the original CNI report