UK woman with prosthetic arm wins over 9000 pounds for wrongful dismissal

London, Aug.14 (ANI): A 22-year-old woman with a prosthetic arm has won her case for wrongful dismissal against clothing retailer Abercrombie and Fitch because she did not fit its "look policy", The Independent reports.

Riam Dean, a law student, who was awarded over 9000 pounds as compensation, was forced to work in the stock room of the US firm's London store.

Dean was born with her left forearm missing, and was first granted special permission to wear a cardigan to cover the joint where her prosthetic limb was attached.

Later, she was told the cardigan did not adhere to the firm's dress code and that she could no longer work on the shop floor.

Dean, from Greenford, Middlesex, started working at the company's flagship Savile Row store in June last year but worked only five shifts before resigning.

A tribunal has now ruled that she was wrongfully dismissed and unlawfully harassed but did not uphold her claim for disability discrimination.

The central London tribunal awarded Dean 7,800 pounds as compensation for injury to her feelings, 1,077.37 pounds for loss of earnings and 136.75 pounds damages for her wrongful dismissal.

It concluded she was unlawfully harassed for a reason which related to her disability and said Abercrombie and Fitch failed to comply with its duty to make reasonable adjustments, and that she was wrongfully dismissed.

It, however, said Dean's claims of direct disability discrimination were "not well founded".

Dean's mother, May, said her daughter was "very, very pleased" at the outcome, but declined to comment further.

Since her dismissal, Dean has befriended disabled professional model Sophie Morgan, and the two have launched Imperfect, a clothing range and campaigning group.

No one was available for comment at Abercrombie and Fitch last night. (ANI)