Facially disfigured man told to leave restaurant for ‘scaring’ people

Oliver Bromley ‘incredulous’ at being turned away over genetic condition that causes benign, non-cancerous tumours

A man with a facial disfigurement was told to leave a restaurant because he was “scaring customers”.
Oliver Bromley, 42, went for lunch at the restaurant, which has not been named, in Camberwell, south-east London, in August, while having treatment at the nearby King’s College Hospital.
But he was turned away by a waiter, who told him he had upset other diners and would not be served.
Mr Bromley has neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic condition that causes benign, non-cancerous tumours to grow on his nerves. He was undergoing treatment at the hospital when he went to a nearby restaurant.
“I decided to take myself for lunch,” recalled Mr Bromley, who works for an NHS mental health crisis helpline. “The food looked good when I looked in one window, and I went inside.
“They said they were cash-only, so I took some money out and went to place my order. The gentleman behind the counter told me there had been complaints about me, and for me to please leave.
“I asked him to repeat himself, and he said I was scaring customers.”
Mr Bromley, who lives in Reigate, Surrey, said he was “incredulous” because he had hardly been in the restaurant long enough for someone to complain about his presence.
“I hadn’t even sat down,” he said. “I went to place my order and they asked me to leave. Perhaps they had seen me browsing, perhaps they didn’t want me in there.”
He added: “People stare – young children, especially – but I’ve never been treated as directly as that.
“It was very direct and very clear that I was not wanted.”
Mr Bromley, who is originally from South Africa, wrote to the restaurant, which he does not wish to name, but received no response.
He then contacted the Metropolitan Police, which recorded the incident as a hate crime.
The Met confirmed that officers had visited Mr Bromley about the incident and that although no arrests had been made, the force took “reports of hate crime seriously”.
Nerve Tumours UK, a charity that raises awareness for Mr Bromley’s condition, said such incidents were “not uncommon”.
Karen Cockburn, its director, said: “If Oliver felt that he had been discriminated against, there is the option that he could have a case under the 2010 Equalities Act, in which ‘severe disfigurement’ is a protected characteristic.”
Mr Bromley said he did not want “retribution” and instead aimed to “spread awareness”.
“There is nothing to be afraid of, it’s just something some individuals have to live with,” he said. “I am hoping this raises awareness and that, going forward, there might be a positive outcome and prevent it happening again.
“There’s always going to be nasty people in the world, but that’s my hope.”