A CHRISTIAN preacher is seeking £200,000 in damages after his Scots prayer event was axed.

Franklin Graham is suing the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) at a hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

The 67-year-old evangelist had been due to appear at the Hydro as part of a 2020 UK tour.

But the date was then called off amid concerns about possible protests at Graham's apparent views on homosexuality.

Franklin's Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) claim the SEC breached the Equality Act by not letting him perform.

Total payment of £200,000 is sought or that the SEC permit Graham to use the Hydro and adhere to the contract signed in July 2019.

Peter Duthie - chief executive of the SEC - gave evidence during the hearing.

He admitted to being initially unaware of Franklin's event at the Hydro, the country's largest entertainment venue.

It was later flagged to him by a colleague due to "negative media attention".

It was initially agreed the event would go ahead, but that it remained an "ongoing situation" at that time.

BGEA's QC Aidan O'Neill asked Mr Duthie if he believed "homosexuality is a sin" to be a "religious view".

The witness replied: "It would appear to be, yes."

The advocate then put to Mr Duthie if this view would be homophobic.

Mr Duthie: "I believe Franklin Graham is entitled to hold his own beliefs. I do not have a view on that."

The hearing was told Scottish Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie had lobbied by email for the event to be cancelled.

Mr Harvie had claimed BGEA had a "toxic agenda" and that it was misogynistic, transphobic and Islamophobic.

Mr Duthie told the hearing the event was eventually cancelled due to a "material breach of the hire agreement" which would affect SEC "terms of business".

The chief executive said this was due to it being "impossible" for people to protest without health and safety issues.

Mr Duthie said there was the "potential" to bring the Hydro into "disrepute".

Members of the LGBT community were invited by Franklin Graham to attend his event following a Facebook post at the end of January.

He said: "I invite everyone in the LGBTQ community to come hear for yourselves the Gospel messages that I will be bringing from God's word, the Bible. You are absolutely welcome."

Mr Duthie added he was aware members of the LGBT community were mobilised and "highly motivated" about the event taking place.

Mr Duthie said: "If invited to come and protest in the venue, it is naive to think they would hear what Franklin Graham had to say and (then) walk out.

"You would not know if it would be tens, hundreds or thousands - there were no tickets.

"It was the first 10,000 who attended."

Mr Duthie said the prayer event was cancelled following a board meeting with directors on January 29.

The SEC contest the claims.

The hearing, before Sheriff John McCormick, continues.