diff --git a/phpBB/includes/functions_user.php b/phpBB/includes/functions_user.php
index 3bf4aa16b7..e0b6a9d0c6 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/functions_user.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/functions_user.php
@@ -1945,9 +1945,10 @@ function validate_user_email($email, $allowed_email = false)
 		return $validate_email;
 	}
 
-	if (($ban = $user->check_ban(false, false, $email, true)) !== false)
+	$ban = $user->check_ban(false, false, $email, true);
+	if (!empty($ban))
 	{
-		return ($ban === true) ? 'EMAIL_BANNED' : (!empty($ban['ban_give_reason']) ? $ban['ban_give_reason'] : $ban);
+		return !empty($ban['ban_give_reason']) ? $ban['ban_give_reason'] : 'EMAIL_BANNED';
 	}
 
 	if (!$config['allow_emailreuse'])
diff --git a/tests/functions/fixtures/validate_email.xml b/tests/functions/fixtures/validate_email.xml
index eb4fd90217..fa139f6f18 100644
--- a/tests/functions/fixtures/validate_email.xml
+++ b/tests/functions/fixtures/validate_email.xml
@@ -1,5 +1,29 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
 <dataset>
+	<table name="phpbb_banlist">
+		<column>ban_id</column>
+		<column>ban_userid</column>
+		<column>ban_exclude</column>
+		<column>ban_end</column>
+		<column>ban_email</column>
+		<column>ban_give_reason</column>
+		<row>
+			<value>1</value>
+			<value>0</value>
+			<value>0</value>
+			<value>0</value>
+			<value>banned@example.com</value>
+			<value></value>
+		</row>
+		<row>
+			<value>2</value>
+			<value>0</value>
+			<value>0</value>
+			<value>0</value>
+			<value>banned2@example.com</value>
+			<value>just because</value>
+		</row>
+	</table>
 	<table name="phpbb_users">
 		<column>user_id</column>
 		<column>username</column>
diff --git a/tests/functions/validate_user_email_test.php b/tests/functions/validate_user_email_test.php
index 8dcec88103..d23ffc0503 100644
--- a/tests/functions/validate_user_email_test.php
+++ b/tests/functions/validate_user_email_test.php
@@ -28,10 +28,16 @@ class phpbb_functions_validate_user_email_test extends phpbb_database_test_case
 
 	protected function setUp()
 	{
+		global $cache, $phpbb_dispatcher, $phpbb_root_path, $phpEx;
+
 		parent::setUp();
 
+		$cache = new \phpbb\cache\driver\file();
+		$cache->purge();
 		$this->db = $this->new_dbal();
-		$this->user = new phpbb_mock_user;
+		$phpbb_dispatcher = new phpbb_mock_event_dispatcher();
+		$language = new phpbb\language\language(new phpbb\language\language_file_loader($phpbb_root_path, $phpEx));
+		$this->user = new phpbb\user($language, '\phpbb\datetime');
 		$this->helper = new phpbb_functions_validate_data_helper($this);
 	}
 
@@ -47,7 +53,6 @@ class phpbb_functions_validate_user_email_test extends phpbb_database_test_case
 		$config['email_check_mx'] = $check_mx;
 		$db = $this->db;
 		$user = $this->user;
-		$user->optionset('banned_users', array('banned@example.com'));
 	}
 
 	public static function validate_user_email_data()
@@ -58,7 +63,8 @@ class phpbb_functions_validate_user_email_test extends phpbb_database_test_case
 			array('valid_complex', array(), "'%$~test@example.com"),
 			array('invalid', array('EMAIL_INVALID'), 'fööbar@example.com'),
 			array('taken', array('EMAIL_TAKEN'), 'admin@example.com'),
-			array('banned', array('EMAIL_BANNED'), 'banned@example.com'),
+			array('banned', ['just because'], 'banned2@example.com'),
+			array('banned', ['EMAIL_BANNED'], 'banned@example.com')
 		);
 	}