TESCO was forced to pay out £3,000 in compensation to a teenager yesterday after it was accused of carrying out a racially motivated stop and search on the mixed-race boy.

The star student known as A was stopped by a shopping assistant and taken to the back of a Maida Vale Tesco store for a search in November 2013. He was not originally told why he had been stopped and was subjected to a search by two adults, including the store’s duty manager.

A said the search left him vulnerable and scared of going into shops for fear of being profiled again.

His GMB-member mother told the union about the incident and together with legal firm Leigh Day the family pursued a claim for race discrimination.

A said: “I think it is absolutely fantastic that we have been able to show them this is not acceptable and that they cannot get away with these kinds of actions anymore.

“When we first took on the case it was like David versus Goliath.”

A’s solicitor Nick Webster said that Tesco’s behaviour had been “unacceptable.”

He added: “What was particularly concerning about this incident was the physical, high-handed manner of Tesco’s conduct.

“The result is that a child has been scarred by a company just because of his race.

“We doubt this is the only incident of this sort and hope that this case will make Tesco look at how they train their staff on equality and diversity, as well as giving those who have been subjected to this type of treatment the confidence to speak out.”

A Tesco spokesman told the Star: “Everyone is welcome at Tesco so we take any allegations of this nature extremely seriously.

“As has already been disclosed, this person was stopped as the colleague believed they had been shoplifting.

“We have agreed to settle the case with no admission of liability.”
joanaramiro@peoples-press.com