Pastor who penned 80s hit So Macho wins discrimination claim over homosexuality comment

The Rev George Hargreaves, 62, said he suffered discrimination after colleague Elizabeth Akano said to him that “people are born gay” and he responded “paedophiles make the same argument”.

A tribunal found that Ms Akano, who worked with Mr Hargreaves at the charity Evolve Housing + Support in South Kensington, unfairly targeted him by sending him to Coventry after he made the remarks.

Mr Hargreaves wrote songs in the 1980s for singer Sinitta that became popular in the gay community. They included the hit So Macho as well as Cruising and Feels Like The First Time.

In 2004 he founded the Christian Party, which opposed homosexuality and in 2011 he ran for a Glasgow parliamentary seat at Holyrood, achieving a 0.7 per cent share of the vote.

The panel’s judgment states: “During the conversation Ms Akano made a comment to the effect that ‘people are born gay’. [He] replied to the effect that paedophiles make the same argument, that they are born that way. He did not consider that the comment would be offensive, or what he said was rude.”

The charity received complaints from both Ms Akano and Mr Hargreaves and upheld neither. Mr Hargreaves appealed to the tribunal.

At London Central Tribunal Centre, Judge Andrew James ruled that Mr Hargreaves suffered harassment and discrimination as a result of his religious beliefs because he was ignored by Ms Akano and questioned by his boss.