Pub boss is sacked after hosting gangster parties
THE boss of a Birmingham pub has been sacked after hosting late-night parties for Burger Bar Boys gangsters and failing to control noise and disorder.
Brewer Greene King, which owns The Horseshoe in Hall Green, admitted it was ‘embarrassed’ by the fact that a former Wacky Warehouse building at the pub had been converted into a banqueting suite and was being hired out for £2,500 a night – because the suite was not licensed to serve alcohol or host regulated entertainment.
Birmingham City Council ruled that designated premises supervisor and tenant Tanveer Handa be removed, while more than a dozen new conditions have been imposed on the licence.
West Midlands Police had called for a review of the Stratford Road pub following a string of incidents this year.
The force accused Mr Handa of claiming to host ‘birthday parties’ when he was actually hiring out the function room to known members of the notorious Burger Bar Boys gang. Police also received
evidence that events had taken place until 6am and 7am without permission.
People fighting were being ejected, only to be allowed to continuing scuffling in the car park, with no-one from The Horseshoe reporting it.
A council licensing sub-committee was played an audio recording of a 999 call from a distressed woman claiming a stabbing had taken place on Saturday, April 20 – although no victim has ever come forward. CCTV footage was also screened, showing suspected drug-taking and a fight unfolding in The Horseshoe restaurant itself on the night of Friday, May 17.
Licensing officer PC Abdool Rohomon accused Mr Handa of ‘chasing money’ and Greene King of not ‘taking responsibility’.
“You have got a premises that has been used by organised crime groups; a premises that is allowing people to hire out the banqueting suite, which wasn’t licensed; they’re allowed to sell their own alcohol; allowed to bring in their own security staff ; they have no control over the numbers, the tickets; they have no policies whatsoever in place.”
Matthew Phipps, representing the brewery chain, said: “Nobody from Greene King is of the perspective that this is, or has been, acceptable.”
He denied the pub chain had a ‘hands-off ’ approach and stated that the business model – Mr Handa leased the premises – ‘works almost all the time’.
Greene King, he said, had initially intended to carry on with Mr Handa, admitting he was in ‘the last chance saloon’, but then confirmed they would remove him due to his failure to attend the council meeting.
“Patience has been exhausted,” said Mr Phipps.
Addressing the use of the banqueting suite, he said: “It is unlicensed, it is embarrassing and silly that we find ourselves saying that.”
The committee imposed a raft of new licence conditions, including that the function room be closed by midnight and that Greene King must approve anyone booking it out.