Police seek closure of Greenwich pub after stabbing

Greenwich pub Star and Garter has had a licence review after a man was stabbed on 1st August.

According to police the victim remains in hospital.

Police state that around 20-30 people were around when they arrived following the incident, yet only one witness spoke to them.

There was no working CCTV, though the pub’s licence doesn’t require it. The CCTV hasn’t worked for some years according to police.

Police state that the suspected attacker had “been allowed” to use the toilet before leaving.

Police claim no one called the police after the incident and they were only informed by the London Ambulance Service.

Upon calling the license holder following the incident, police state they were told the suspect had been barred, though police were not aware of the suspect owing to a lack of information.

Review

The police then sought a licensing review due to lack of cooperation and also state customers were loud and in the street upon arrival with drinks, though one would suspect that such an incident would draw people from inside to the outside of the premises.

There has been no noise complaints since 2009 according to the report.

Police have called for a full suspension of the license while a review is conducted.

In response the partner of the licence holder stated on 12th August they were not on the premises at the time of the incident yet:

• Bar staff did not see the incident with no fight or attack within site to attract their attention, and after an ambulance was called the ambulance service contacted police.
• They do not know the attacker and no one has been barred.
• The claim by police that the perpetrator used a bathroom was the first time they’d heard it.
• This is the first incident in 21 years and does not suggest a lack of control or mismanagement.
• Closing the pub to conduct a review would threaten the existence of the business

Decision

On the 5th August, before the letter giving the pubs side of the story, Greenwich Council decided:

“The Sub-Committee gave full and proper regard to the Certificate from the Superintendent of Police that the premises are associated with serious crime and disorder.

A very serious stabbing had taken place at the premises which was not reported to the police by the Licenceholder and staff of the premises, the police had not been called by anyone present at the premises when the stabbing took place. Police only arrived after ambulance paramedics reported the violence when attending to the victim. The LSC view the failure to call the police and absence of co-operation by the premises licence holder, who is also the designated premises supervisor, and staff at the premises, with extreme concern.

The LSC noted the refusal of the licence holder to identify the perpetrator notwithstanding his identity is known and the police being informed by the licence holder that the perpetrator is barred from the premises. The staff in the premises appear to have assisted the perpetrator, allowing him to clean up in the toilets after the stabbing, and ushered him away from the premises, following the stabbing.

The perpetrator is a known regular customer of the premises. The LSC also noted that only one customer provided police with any information, the stabbing took place when the premises were busy and within a few feet of a group of customers in the premises but who all inexplicably did not see anything.

In reaching its decision the LSC also gave weight to the potential for further violence as set out in the police application.

The LSC noted with concern the general absence of proper management, and lack of control, of the premises with customers allowed to cause public nuisance within a residential area,

The LSC suspend the premises licence until the full review hearing, and consider it appropriate to promote the licencing objectives and to prevent further serious violence”

An appeal was heard yesterday following the pub’s letter. As soon as the verdict is online it will be added to this post.

UPDATE: The pub was forced to close.