Royal Oak pub will remain open under strict conditions after stabbing
A Tipton pub where a man was left seriously injured after being stabbed outside will remain open – with councillors imposing new conditions on its licence.
Councillors met on Wednesday to decide the future of the Royal Oak, in Dudley Port, after a stabbing last month left a man with serious injuries.
It was the second serious assault at the pub – after another customer was attacked in mid-February.
After requests from police to carry out a review into the pub's licence, Sandwell councillors previously made an interim order removing the designated premises supervisor (DPS) and preventing him from having any further involvement with the pub.
The hearing on Wednesday heard that a new DPS was put in place – but checks revealed she was also a DPS at a busy bar in Birmingham, which police said had links to organised crime and firearms.
While a manager at the Royal Oak, had previously been a manager at a restaurant in Birmingham where class A and B drugs were found – a premises the ex-Royal Oak DPS was also responsible for.
Pc Nick Stephens, from West Midlands Police, told the hearing that after the stabbing, an anonymous tip-off led police to believe that the premises was linked to gangs and firearms were being stored there – but a search found nothing.
The hearing was also told the pub had been holding under 18s nights on a Thursday – which the pub's licence owner Surjit Hayer, from PH Hilly Limited, was unaware it was taking place.
He said: "Since the first hearing more intelligence came through to police about the Royal Oak that a gang has taken over the pub and firearms stored at the premises.
"We went back to the Royal Oak and we were allowed upstairs to look. We did an open door search and did not come across anything.
"You have got the vulnerable aspect of children attending this location and when you look at that, along with the intel and what has happened in previous weeks, that is a massive concern for the police and everyone really. I am asking for conditions to be imposed."
Mr Hayer said if they wanted the team removed from the pub they would do it – adding that he was not resisting the conditions asked for by police.
Committee Chairman, Councillor Bob Piper, confirmed that the interim order to remove the former DPS and prevent him from having any further involvement with the pub would stay in place.
He also ordered that the current DPS and manager should be removed from their positions and have no involvement with the running of the premises or licencing activities.
Councillors also asked for the CCTV system to be GDPR compliant and recorded for 28 days, a refusal book kept at the premises made available to police, a policy of challenge 25 enforced, no under 18s and staff training details recorded.
