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| Comedian 'humiliated' for using disabled space on train | Comedian 'humiliated' for using disabled space on train |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A comedian has hit out at a train operator after she was "harassed and humiliated" for using a disabled space for her mobility scooter. | A comedian has hit out at a train operator after she was "harassed and humiliated" for using a disabled space for her mobility scooter. |
| Tanyalee Davis said a guard on a Great Western Railway (GWR) service threatened to call the police if she did not leave the space. | Tanyalee Davis said a guard on a Great Western Railway (GWR) service threatened to call the police if she did not leave the space. |
| Ms Davis said the guard then made an announcement that she was "causing problems" which had delayed the train. | Ms Davis said the guard then made an announcement that she was "causing problems" which had delayed the train. |
| GWR said staff who saw the video were "collectively horrified". | GWR said staff who saw the video were "collectively horrified". |
| Canadian-born Ms Davis, 47, who has a form of dwarfism, was travelling on the 11:00 service from Plymouth to London on Sunday with her partner, Kevin Bolden, who filmed the incident on a mobile phone. | Canadian-born Ms Davis, 47, who has a form of dwarfism, was travelling on the 11:00 service from Plymouth to London on Sunday with her partner, Kevin Bolden, who filmed the incident on a mobile phone. |
| She was told to move from the unreserved space after a young mother asked to use it for a pram. | She was told to move from the unreserved space after a young mother asked to use it for a pram. |
| Ms Davis, who lives in Norwich, said she felt "personally and publicly humiliated" after the guard threatened to call the police. | Ms Davis, who lives in Norwich, said she felt "personally and publicly humiliated" after the guard threatened to call the police. |
| "He made an announcement... saying that it was 'the woman with the mobility scooter' that was causing problems and that the train would be delayed indefinitely," she said. | "He made an announcement... saying that it was 'the woman with the mobility scooter' that was causing problems and that the train would be delayed indefinitely," she said. |
| "It was humiliating and I cried for most of the journey home," she said. | "It was humiliating and I cried for most of the journey home," she said. |
| Ms Davis had been travelling back to Norfolk after headlining the Plymouth Comedy Club on Saturday. | Ms Davis had been travelling back to Norfolk after headlining the Plymouth Comedy Club on Saturday. |
| You may also be interested in: | You may also be interested in: |
| In a tearful video after the journey, she said: "I don't know what it is about this country, they really make you feel disabled. | In a tearful video after the journey, she said: "I don't know what it is about this country, they really make you feel disabled. |
| "Just because I use a mobility scooter it doesn't make me a pariah, it doesn't make me less disabled". | "Just because I use a mobility scooter it doesn't make me a pariah, it doesn't make me less disabled". |
| "I'm just trying to make a living, to make people laugh," she added. | "I'm just trying to make a living, to make people laugh," she added. |
| Dan Panes, from GWR, said a team from the train company had watched Ms Davis' video and were "collectively horrified". | Dan Panes, from GWR, said a team from the train company had watched Ms Davis' video and were "collectively horrified". |
| "We got it wrong, it made no sense. A wheelchair space is a wheelchair space, it's not for luggage or pushchairs," he admitted. | "We got it wrong, it made no sense. A wheelchair space is a wheelchair space, it's not for luggage or pushchairs," he admitted. |
| "The priority is really clear. Tanyalee should not have been asked to move." | "The priority is really clear. Tanyalee should not have been asked to move." |
| He confirmed that an investigation is under way - but did not say if any action would be taken against the train guard involved. | He confirmed that an investigation is under way - but did not say if any action would be taken against the train guard involved. |