Lord of the Rings

'Purity' ring row reaches court

Lydia Playfoot says she has been discriminated againstA teenager is due in the High Court to accuse her school of discriminating against Christians by banning the wearing of "purity rings".
Lydia Playfoot, 16, was told by Millais School in Horsham, West Sussex, to remove her ring or face expulsion.
She alleges discrimination because the school allows Sikh and Muslim pupils to wear bracelets and headscarves.
The school denies breaching human rights law, saying the ring is not an essential part of the Christian faith.
BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said a group of girls at the school were wearing the "Silver Ring Thing".
Human Rights Act
These rings were inscribed with a biblical verse and Ms Playfoot has said the jewellery was intended to symbolise "her Christian commitment to sexual abstinence until marriage".
Ms Playfoot will claim her right to be able to express her religious beliefs, under Article Nine of the Human Rights Act, has been breached.
The school will insist that it is not operating a discriminatory policy because allowances made for Sikhs and Muslims only occur for items integral to their religious beliefs.
It argues that a Christian pupil would be allowed to wear a crucifix.