A registrar who refused to officiate at civil partnership ceremonies for gay couples because of her Christian beliefs has won her employment tribunal case.

Lilian Ladele, who worked at Islington Council in north London for 16 years, said she was bullied and victimised over her refusal to oversee same-sex unions. From March 2006, for a period of 15 months, Ladele had swapped with colleagues to avoid civil partnership ceremonies. However, the matter came to a head after her bosses decided it would send out the wrong message to allow her to be permanently exempted, and she was threatened with dismissal.