The owner of a garden centre business who refused to take on a work experience candidate because he was gay has been fined €1,600 by a court in Friesland.

Bas van der Meer received an email from De Boer Drachten after the owner discovered on Facebook that he was in a same-sex relationship. ‘Your sexuality is not the point, but the manifestation of it is,’ said the email, which was obtained by local news network Omroep Fryslân.

The owner said his decision was based on his Christian beliefs, but the district court in Leeuwarden found that Van der Meer had been discriminated against because of his sexual orientation. ‘That is against not just the law, but the constitution,’ said a court spokesman.

As well as a €1,600 fine, half of which was suspended for three years, the owner was also ordered to pay the student €1,475 in compensation. Part of that sum reflected the setback to Van der Meer’s education.