A bakery that refused to ice a cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan discriminated on grounds of sexual orientation, a court has found.

The ruling, made by district judge Isobel Brownlie at Belfast County Court, brings to an end a landmark legal action.

Gareth Lee had asked Asher's Bakery to ice the cake depicting Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie and the logo for the campaign group, Queerspace.

The company initially accepted his request but after consideration declined it because "it was at odds with our beliefs and with what the Bible teaches".

Northern Ireland's publicly funded Equality Commission brought a civil action, alleging that the bakery breached its statutory duty not to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Mr Lee told the court he was left to feel "like a lesser person" when the bakery - based at Newtownabbey, Co Antrim - contacted him.

"I wasn't worthy of service because they were Christian. That was the message that struck me. It made me feel not worthy, like I'm a lesser person and to me that is wrong," he said.

The McArthur family which owns the bakery chain told the judge they "could not stand before God" and produce a cake supporting same-sex marriage.

Speaking before the ruling, general manager Daniel McArthur defended the decision, saying: "We happily serve everyone but we cannot promote a cause that goes against what the Bible says about marriage.

"We have tried to be guided in our actions by our Christian beliefs."

Michael Wardlow is from the Northern Ireland Equality Commission, which brought the case.

Judge Brownlie said she believed the McArthur family had "genuine and deeply held religious beliefs" but said they must have been aware Mr Lee was gay and were aware of the ongoing same-sex marriage debate.

She added: "They (Ashers) are in a business supplying services to all. The law requires them to do just that."

Reporter Michelle Clifford said: "A cake that was supposed to cost £36.50 has ended up costing tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees".

The case can be appealed to a higher court, she said, adding: "The maximum fine levied against the bakery is £500, but those who brought the action said it wasn’t about the money, it was about the principle."

Democratic Unionist assembly member Paul Givan has campaigned for a 'conscience clause' in Northern Ireland's equality law.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK where same-sex marriage is illegal, a position affirmed by a vote in the Assembly last month.