A FRENCH court yesterday fined a guesthouse owner who refused to give a room to a woman wearing a Muslim headscarf unless she removed it in common areas.

Found guilty of religious discrimination, Yvette Truchelut, 54, was handed a suspended four-month prison sentence and fined 1,000 euros (£700). She will have to pay a total of 7,400 to the plaintiff and rights groups that brought the action.

Horia Demiati, who is of Moroccan origin, chose to leave the guesthouse in eastern France rather than comply with the owner's demand.

In 2004, France passed a law banning religious garb, notably Muslim headscarves, from state schools. [Link]