The UK Christian Bed & Breakfast owners who refused to allow a gay couple to share a room have won the right to appeal to the Supreme Court against a conviction for breaching the UK’s equality laws.

Peter and Hazelmary Bull, are the owners of the Chymorvah Private Hotel in Marazion, Cornwall, refused to let a gay couple share a bedroom at their seaside guest house. In 2008, Mr Bull, 72, and Mrs Bull, who is in her late 60s, devout Christians who regard any sex outside marriage as a “sin” accepted a reservation for an £80 a-night double room booking from Steven Preddy, who is 38, thinking hat he would be staying with his wife. Yet, when Mr Preddy arrived with his 46 year-old civil partner Martyn Hall, the men, from Bristol, were told that they could have two rooms, but would not allow them to share the one double-bedded room they had booked.

Earlier this year the Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge brought by the homophobic Bull‘s against a ruling that they breached the then relatively new equality legislation when they turned away Mr Hall and partner Mr Preddy. They denied they had either direct or indirect discriminated against the gay couple, arguing that their policy of restricting double beds to married couples, in accordance with their religious beliefs, was not directed to sexual orientation, but sexual practice.

Dismissing the Bulls’ appeal in February this year, Sir Andrew Morritt, Chancellor of the High Court, sitting in London with Lord Justice Hooper and Lady Justice Rafferty, said that the restriction was “absolute” in relation to homosexuals but not in the case of heterosexuals. “In those circumstances it must constitute discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. Such discrimination is direct” he said. Lady Justice Rafferty said a homosexual couple “cannot comply with the restriction because each party is of the same sex and therefore cannot marry”.

The Bulls had suggested they had previously barred unmarried heterosexual couples from sharing double rooms since they opened for business 25 years. Although according to locals, the Bull’s have on occasion let out a double room to an unmarried heterosexual couple, further compounding their discriminative tendencies. However this week the UK Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, has now decided it will hear an appeal of their case and may well find in their favour.

The Bull’s legal appeals are being funded by the Christian Institute, which funded Mr and Mrs Bull’s appeal, said “Something has gone badly wrong with our equality laws when good, decent people like Peter and Hazelmary are penalised”