'Children were drinking until early hours' at Dudley pub where 16-year-old boy suffered head injuries

One boy, a 16-year-old, was taken to hospital with a head injury he had received inside the Crown Inn in Sedgley, police have said.

The Express & Star revealed last month that the licence of the pub in Sedgley High Street was being reviewed after the youngster was taken to hospital suffering the effects of alcohol poisoning.

Now a police report, which will be considered by councillors on Wednesday, reveals the true extent of events at the pub on March 13 and 14.

Supt Lucas Cole, of Dudley Police Station, called for Mr Singh to be removed as ‘designated premises supervisor’, and for the pub to close by midnight Sunday to Thursday, and by 12.30am at weekends. As an alternative, he suggested that the pub could be required to employ a minimum of two accredited bouncers after 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights.

Mr Cole said the boy was taken to Russells Hall Hospital by ambulance during the early hours of March 14, after suffering breathing difficulties. The boy told his parents he had suffered a head injury after falling while in the pub, and had been served drinks at least four times without being asked for identification.

The boy had said four of his friends were still in the pub, and it was later reported that one of them, a 17-year-old, did not return home until 6.05am. The pub’s licence requires it to close by 2.30am, and forbids children from entering the premises after 9pm.

Mr Cole said the three other children had all been asked for ID, and produced an artificial-intelligence image on their phones.

Crown licensee, Gurdeep Singh, was asked to produce CCTV footage relating to period in question, but was unable to do so apart from a short clip which appeared to confirm the pub was open after 4am.

Mr Cole said it was not the first time a child had been inside the pub drinking alcohol.

“We have a report in January 2026, which states that one of the parents had reported their child missing, and were found in the early hours of the morning, stating they had been at these premises,” he said.

“Therefore, on the balance of probabilities, it is fair to say that these children felt comfortable entering the Crown, knowing that they would be served alcohol.”

Mr Singh told police he was not at the pub on the night in question, and that his wife and a barmaid were on duty.

He told officers that he had been struggling to remove customers from the pub on time, adding that when they purchased food at 2am, they did not want to leave half an hour later.

Mr Singh admitted he had not read the terms of his licence, and was not aware that children were not allowed to enter the premises after 9pm. He was unable to give police an explanation as to why his CCTV was not working, despite it being a condition of his licence.

Dudley Council’s public health team backed the police recommendations, adding that the closing time should be brought forward as well as bouncers being employed.