Wolverhampton pub keeps licence after violent brawl went unreported
A bar and grill will be allowed to keep its licence after its owner was forced to explain why he failed to call 999 after a violent brawl.
City of Wolverhampton Council has ruled the Garden Bar off Birmingham New Road in Lanesfield, Wolverhampton, can remain open after its licence holder Jasvir Singh Johal was told to answer why a late-night violent brawl involving ‘up to 20 people’ was not reported to police.
The hearing heard how a brawl involving ‘between 15 and 20 people’ had erupted after a man slapped another man at the bar. A gang of males then attacked the one man squaring off both inside the venue and outside in the car park.
CCTV also showed men returning from their cars to the bar with weapons including a broken pool cue.
During the hearing on Thursday (February 12), licensing chair Cllr Alan Butt said the footage was “damning” and the disorder, which he described as a “free-for-all”, had gone on for “quite a bit.”
“Really, it should have been an immediate call [to police],” he told Mr Johal.
West Midlands Police said CCTV footage of the late-night brawl was part of an ongoing investigation and would not be released but it was shown to councillors ahead of the hearing.
Mr Johal had told the hearing he was “in shock” and “couldn’t think clearly” when the fight erupted at the bar and grill off Birmingham New Road in Lanesfield, Wolverhampton, at around 1.20am on December 13 last year.
But later told councillors he was “still thinking straight” and had not called the emergency services as he had been assured that nobody was injured.
West Midlands Police asked Mr Johal why the incident had gotten “so out of control.”
Mr Johal said: “It was already over before it had even started,” he said. “People are already dispersing, they were already leaving. I asked the guy if he was okay, I asked if everybody else was alright… if I had stopped and called the police it could have escalated [even further].”
The council’s licensing committee ruled the pub could keep its licence and said it would be adding conditions to ensure such “serious” incidents were not repeated.
These included staff training on reporting and dealing with emergencies as well as preserving the scene of a crime.
The committee told Mr Johal that despite “differing opinions” over what type of disorder warranted calling police, the disorder on December 13 was “clearly an incident that should have been reported” and said his reasons for not dialling 999 were not acceptable.
The committee added that given his answers during the hearing, it was “not confident” that Mr Johal could provide staff training sufficiently and asked that outside expertise be sought.
West Midlands Police had accused the licence holder of a “lack of responsibility” after failing to report the brawl.
The force called for the licence review after officers were told of an ‘unreported affray’ at the Garden Bar at around 1.20am on December 13 last year after officers had found CCTV of the disorder while looking into an unrelated matter.
