Kentish Express Ashford & District
Man banned from shop after seizure
An epileptic man has been banned from B&M after injuring three women during a seizure.
Barry Fleming - who has a rare form of epilepsy - had a seizure while he was queuing to pay at the discount store in the high street.
One woman was badly injured after being knocked to the floor and bitten by the 21-year-old during the medical episode.
She required further treatment in hospital - including stitches to close up a deep cut on her face.
Police and ambulance attended following the incident inside the former Woolworths store, during which a further two members of the public were harmed.
But despite injuring several customers, Mr Fleming has hit back at B&M’s decision to permanently ban him from the store.
“I’m being discriminated against because of my epilepsy,” he said.
“The way I have seizures is completely different to other people.
“I do tend to get violent, I don’t want to get violent - it’s not my intention.
“My partner tells people to stay away from me.
“A couple of weeks ago I had a seizure in B&M when I went there on my own. I pulled a women down and she whacked her eyebrow on the till and I bit her twice.
“The supervisor said I’m a liability and I’m not allowed back in there again.
“I said it is discrimination and they can’t ban me because I am epileptic - I have the same rights as everyone else.”
Mr Fleming, who lives in Wellesley Road, says he can have up to 20 seizures a day.
He is unable to work due to his condition and relies on assistance from his service dog - a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Lexi - to help him when he has a seizure.
His partner Tina Pownceby added: “The dog alerts people when he is going into a seizure.
“She puts him in a recovery position and when he is coming round she licks his face.
“I’ve told people not to go near him because he can bite and pinch but they don’t listen and approach him anyway.
“He is now not allowed in the store for public safety reasons and that is unfair.”