London - A former British naval commander was awarded £114,000 in compensation yesterday for having been dismissed six years ago because he was gay. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it was "broadly content" with the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, indicating an appeal was unlikely.
The ministry was ordered to pay the money to former Lieut Cdr Duncan Lustig-Prean, who was dismissed from the British navy in 1994 when "our policy was that being homosexual was not compatible with the armed forces", the spokesman said.
The ministry lifted its ban on homosexuals serving in the military in January, after the European Court of Human Rights ruled against the policy. Another 85 people dismissed from the British armed services for being homosexual have been offered awards of £10,000 each but have not decided whether to accept them.