Gwent man with Huntington's disease refused entry to bar after 'bouncers accused him of being drunk'

Ben Jones, 24, of Brynithel, Abertillery, went out to celebrate Pride on Saturday in Cardiff with his fiancé Ross Gunter and three of his friends but at around 10pm was refused entry to Chapel 1877 bar and restaurant on Churchill Way.

Mr Jones has Huntington's disease, which is an inherited condition that damages certain nerve cells in the brain.

One of the symptoms of the condition is frequent involuntary body movements and it was this which led security staff at the venue to say he was on ‘drugs’ and 'drunk.'

A spokesman for the bar said they are investigating the incident and will be looking for new security staff.

Chapel 1877 in Cardiff.

Ross Gunter, 27, said his partner of four years, Mr Jones produced his Huntington's card which says he might be slow or unsteady on his feet but said the security men did not believe him.

He said: "How he was treated was disgusting. There were two bouncers mimicking his movements - they were taking the mick out of him.

"The duty manager came out and he was the one who said if Ben had a disability he should stay at home to be cared for not on a night out.”

Mr Gunter, a carer, said a friend stopped a police officer who was ‘absolutely disgusted’ with what she heard and demanded the badge numbers of the bouncers.

He said: “This has really knocked Ben's confidence. He’s still quite upset about the experience. He doesn’t go out that often and when he does I have got to really persuade him to come out.

“He hasn’t drunk alcohol for about three and a half years because of his medication.”

The couple have thanked their three friends Bridie James, Helen Evans and Laura Voyce, who were defending Mr Jones on the night.

A post on Facebook about the incident by Ms Evans has been shared by more than 3,300 people.

Mr Jones worked as a carer in a nursing home but had to give it up recently due to his condition. The 24-year-old, won a young carer of the year award in 2004 for looking after his late father Gary who also had Huntington’s.

His mother, Gail Jones, 48, said she is ‘appalled’ by the way her son was treated who was just trying to enjoy his life.

She said: "Ben had a migraine all day yesterday which was stress related.

“I know he’s my son but he’s a true gentleman and very caring.

“He was really looking forward to Pride - they had booked a hotel and everything. They all felt humiliated and awful afterwards."

Ben Jones

A spokesman for Chapel 1877 said they have investigated the situation and said ‘no way’ did staff turn the group away because of a disability.

He said the group were not allowed entry because of ‘how they were reacting’ and some of the party had ‘too much to drink.’

He said the duty manager attended the front door and ‘was greeted with what he felt was a rowdy manner.’

The spokesman said security staff are not employed by the company and they will now be seeking new security staff.

He said: "We are extremely disappointed by the reported comments made from the security company that were hired to run the front door for this event and we are taking all possible actions to rectify this."

He added: “They are a separate business and we do not condone any person to be treated with disrespect, it goes against everything we have tried to achieve at the Chapel.”

The general manager for the venue has been in contact with Mrs Jones and has invited her son and his friends to the Chapel along with an offer to host a charity event to raise money for Huntington's disease.