Security guard sues for £1m after puddle slip

TATE MODERN is being sued for £1 million by a security guard who can no longer work after slipping on a puddle and falling down the stairs.

Fiaz-ur-rehman Butt says he has been left “virtually housebound” owing to injuries he suffered when he slipped and fell down steel stairs at the art gallery in London.

Although the 54-year-old was able to return to “sedentary” work after the August 2014 accident, he says he was racked with pain, and left his job in January 2016. Mr Butt is now suing the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery.

Liability for the accident is “not in issue”, Central London County Court heard yesterday, but the Tate is disputing the amount of compensation claimed, with its lawyers challenging the scale of Mr Butt’s injuries.

Melanie Neale, Mr Butt’s lawyer, told Judge Janet Lambert: “Our case is that here is a person who before the accident was a hard-working gentleman who worked as a security guard. But he now finds himself unable to work, he is looked after by carers and is no longer able to enjoy life.”

After the accident, Mr Butt was left with acute back and bladder problems, as well as chronic pain in his legs, the court heard.

But Perry Hill, representing the Tate, highlighted a report from a surgeon who “could not identify any evidence that Mr Butt had suffered a significant spinal injury”.

The case is now set to return to court at a later date.