Mother claims she and her disabled child were ‘kicked out’ of a Pink concert in London: ‘Treated like criminals’

A single mother with a young boy who has Down Syndrome says they were “treated like criminals” at Pink’s concert.

A mother and her disabled child were reportedly “kicked out” of a Pink concert in a scene which was described as “horrific”.

Vanessa Vasey, 48, splashed £630 ($1202) on tickets to take her son Jesse – who has Down’s Syndrome – to see Pink perform at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday.

A disabled child and his mother were “kicked out” of a Pink concert in London over the weekend, according to reports. Photo: VALERIE MACON / AFP.

Before the concert began, the youngster, who also lives with developmental, sensory and neurodivergent needs – struggled to stay seated.

As a result, the mother has alleged that she was approached by multiple members of security, who gave the pair an ultimatum.

The single mum said she and her son were treated “like criminals” when “around six security guards” told Vanessa he would have to “sit down or they must leave”.

She told MailOnline: “When it came to sitting in our seats, Jesse didn’t want to. So we stood up by our seats and Jesse was dancing. We weren’t causing any problems – Jesse is three feet tall and was entertaining everyone. Then six security guards showed up telling us we had to move.”

She went on to call the situation “horrific”, and claimed she was told to take her son to a “sensory room” where they would have had to watch the show entirely on a small television screen.

The youngster, who has Down Syndrome, sadly never got to see his idol on-stage. Photo: Anna KURTH / AFP.

“When I explained about Jesse’s disabilities, they said there was nothing they could do – we either had to sit in the seats or leave. It was absolutely horrific. I argued our case and the only thing they offered us was to sit in the soundproof sensory room where Jesse wouldn’t have heard any of the act and instead, would watch it on a screen, take our seats, or leave.”

She added that she Jesse was “upset” and she was “cross” with security who, along with “other employees”, escorted the mum and her son “out of the building like criminals”.

A spokesman for the stadium shared a response to the mother’s complaint on Facebook, saying:

“As a venue that prides itself on providing fully inclusive facilities for all, we are extremely sorry to hear that Jesse did not enjoy a positive experience at Saturday night’s concert. Following further investigation, we can confirm that Ms Vasey was offered assistance by our Safeguarding and Welfare teams throughout the night to provide Jesse with a comfortable viewing experience, including access to our dedicated Sensory Room. The offers of assistance were declined by Ms Vasey and the party chose to leave the event.”

Originally published as Mother claims she and her disabled child were ‘kicked out’ of a Pink concert in London: ‘Treated like criminals’