Leon Diop, 24, sued Transdev Dublin Light Rail and security firm STT Risk Management after he was asked to leave the tram after accusing a security guard of racial profiling.

Mr Diop failed in the Circuit Court but appealed to the High Court, which heard that Mr Diop was riding the tram on 8 June 2016 with his brother when it was boarded by two security guards.

The guards said there had been issues with black youths riding the tram without tickets and behaving badly and they approached Mr Diop, who said he felt it was “slightly racially profiling”.

Mr Diop was asked for his ticket and produced it, but one guard asked him to leave the tram anyway because he didn’t like his “attitude”. The second guard then told the brothers to remain.

Mr Justice Anthony Barr was satisfied that there was a “momentary defamation” when the guard asked him to leave, but it had been almost immediately corrected by the second guard.

He therefore awarded nominal damages of €500 and legal costs.