From our bulging “Grow Up” File. By Paul Sims for the Daily Mail (thanks to Josephine):
Scores of Muslim inmates at a high security prison are set to launch a multi-million pound claim for compensation after they were offered ham sandwiches during the holy month of Ramadan.
They say their human rights were breached when they were given a special nightly menu – drawn up to recognise their specific dietary requirements – by officers at HMP Leeds last month.
More than 200 Muslim inmates at the jail are believed to have been offered the meat which is strictly forbidden by Islam.
The sandwich was one of three options on the menu card which was created to cover the religious festival during which Muslims are required to fast during daylight.
They later complained to prison officers on duty but say they were told that the menus had been printed in error.
Yet when they opened the sandwiches, having ordered cheese, some claim they were still filled with boiled ham.
They are now launching legal action, insisting that their human rights were breached and could each be entitled to up to £10,000 in compensation if they win their case at court.
One Muslim inmate, a 28-year-old who was serving a 16-week sentence for driving whilst disqualified, said: ‘When I opened my meal that night I found I’d been given a ham sandwich. I’d asked for cheese.
‘It was a breach of my human rights and I want compensation.’