West Bromwich pub applies to re-open after 'horrifying' baton attack

Sandwell Council shut down the Prince of Wales in West Bromwich High Street after the incident involving unlicensed door staff and patrons in November last year.

In December, the local authority’s licensing committee stripped 69-year-old owner Rajinder Singh, who has run the pub for more than two decades, of his licence over the “horrific” incident saying “serious crime and disorder” had taken place.

An application for a new licence to re-open the West Bromwich pub has now been made by Balbinder Singh.

The application includes permission to open from 9am to 3am every day with alcohol sold until 2.30am.

The licence would also include permission to play live and recorded music until the same time.

At the licensing hearing last month, West Midlands Police said one of the pub’s bouncers involved in the violent disorder did not hold a valid SIA licence and two of its bar staff did not have the right to work in the UK.

Door staff had used “excessive force” and “physically assaulted” customers using an offensive weapon on November 19 according to police.

The force said a ‘police-style baton’ was passed to bouncer by bar staff and that it was used in view of Mr Singh who did not call 999 “for a considerable time after.”

Officers called to West Bromwich High Street over ‘three members of the public bleeding from the head’ said they ran into difficulties with the venue and it took ‘around 40 minutes’ to find out what had happened from Mr Singh and his staff.

CCTV footage of the alleged attack was shown in private but was described as “horrific” and “horrifying” during the hearing.

West Midlands Police, which called for the pub’s licence to be revoked, said the violent disorder was a “preventable situation.”

Duncan Craig, representing Mr Singh, admitted the CCTV footage of the attack made for “unpleasant viewing” but said the pub owner had been “misled” by ‘casual’ staff over their right to work as well as the unauthorised door man who had worked at the pub for ‘some time’ and who he believed held a licence.

Mr Craig blamed Mr Singh’s “old fashioned and outdated” methods for allowing the violence to break and his declining health on the lack of intervention.

Anil Grover, who had been working at the pub for a few months and Gurdev Rai, who had previously run the pub while Mr Singh was ill, had been primed to take over if the Prince of Wales remained open.

Both admitted to the hearing they had not checked staff paperwork or identification themselves – with Mr Rai saying he “wrongly presumed” the checks had been carried out.

West Bromwich BID supported Mr Singh saying the Prince of Wales was a “responsible pub” that has continued to promote the licensing objectives – adding that the boozer was a “big part of the West Bromwich community.”

West Midlands Police said it had received a call from a member of the public because “three people were bleeding from the head” after an incident at the Prince of Wales at around 12.30am on November 16.

The force said the incident started inside the High Street pub and spilled out onto the street.

Officers reported a section 18 wounding with intent, section 20 assault and section 47 assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH) and were investigating the possession of an offensive weapon.