Muslim woman doubles her claim against hair salon

A Muslim woman suing a salon owner for refusing her a hairdressing job because of her headscarf has more than doubled her claim for damages, after allegedly receiving hate mail.

Bushra Noah, 19, from Acton, claims Sarah Desrosiers, who runs the Wedge salon in King's Cross, behaved in a "high-handed, malicious, insulting or oppressive manner" by discussing the case in public.

She claims this caused media intrusion in her life, harassment and hate mail, and left her feeling "awkward and embarrassed". As a result, Ms Noah, who is suing Ms Desrosiers for religious discrimination, has now raised her claim for damages from just over £15,000 to more than £35,000.

Ms Desrosiers, 32, insists she rejected Ms Noah because it is essential that her employees display their hair.

The salon owner denies discrimination and says she will vigorously contest the new bid for increased compensation. She said: "I am not responsible for other people sending hate mail. I needed to highlight the case because I needed to find financial help to pay my legal bills.

"My lawyers have warned me that I might have to go personally bankrupt if I lose the case and now there is this attempt to get more money out of me. I think it is just totally wrong." She said she would have said the same to any person with headwear - whether it was a baseball cap or cowboy hat - and was dismayed that Ms Noah was "dragging her name through the mud" by effectively accusing her of being a racist.

Ms Noah, who had been turned down previously for around 25 other hairdressing jobs, said she decided to take legal action because she was distressed by Ms Desrosiers' comments at the interview.

Her claim for religious discrimination was due to be heard at a London employment tribunal this month but has now been delayed until March.