A WORCESTERSHIRE man who was discharged from the RAF for being gay has been awarded compensation of more than £115,000.

Kevin Bazeley, aged 35, was one of five people to be compensated by the European Court of Human Rights yesterday.

Mr Bazeley, who received the largest payment of the five, joined the RAF in 1985 but was discharged in August 1994 after his wallet was found to contain membership cards for two clubs for homosexuals.

"At the time of his discharge, he was a flight lieutenant considered to have good potential," said a spokesman for the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Bazeley, of Post Office Lane, Fernhill Heath, was awarded a total of 184,032 euros, equivalent to £115,756. He declined to comment about the compensation payment when approached by the Evening News yesterday.

The five applicants, four men and one woman, received more than £350,000 between them.

Their cases were brought after the forces' ban on homosexuality was revoked in 2000.

In each case, the UK Government was found to have breached Articles 8 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

"The applicants, all United Kingdom nationals, were all British armed forces personnel, discharged from the forces on the basis of their homosexuality," said the court spokesman. Howard Copp, a private from Tyne and Wear, was discharged in 1982 after revealing his homosexuality. The 45-year-old was awarded £78,715.

John Beck, a 43-year-old from Lancashire, was discharged from the RAF after declaring he was celibate homosexual in 1993. He was awarded 105,713.

Royal Navy medical assistant Terrence Perkins, from London, was discharged in 1995. The 33-year-old was awarded £21,761.

The final case was an unnamed Royal Navy radio operator who was dismissed in 1992 after it emerged she was having a lesbian affair with civilian. The 30-year-old from Surrey received £50,004.