Chiefs want bar closed for good but licence holder asks for second chance

A CITY centre bar should lose its licence after a series of ‘unprecedented’ coronavirus breaches, it has been claimed – but the licence holder admits she has ‘screwed up’ and is asking for a second chance.

PBs on Key Hill in Hockley is facing a revocation of its licence after police said they had ‘no confidence’ that the licence holder could protect either customers or staff. During a four hour licensing meeting the committee were shown several CCTV and police bodycam videos which showed a packed bar on August 7, with no evidence of social distancing taking place. “On the 7th and the 15th, people are just there,” PC Rohomon of West Midlands Police told the meeting.

“There’s no compliance whatsoever. There’s no social distancing, there’s no track and tracing, there’s no people sitting down, there’s people dancing, there’s people smoking. All these things don’t leave me as a professional licensing officer to come back with the thought ‘this is a licence holder who knows what she’s doing, she’s made a one off mistake and she can learn from this.’ It’s not.”

Speaking at the meeting, a spokesperson for Public Health Birmingham said the breaches by the bar were ‘unprecedented,’ adding: “It’s probably one of the worst examples we could ever wish to see of non-adherence to guidance.”

A representative for the licence holder, Ms Nickeshia Reid-Davidson. admitted that the breaches had been ‘unacceptable,’ but argued that she should be given a second chance. “This has served as a sobering lesson to her, and she’s been very upset by this,” her spokesperson said. “It’s taken this intervention by West Midlands Police in order for her mind to be properly focused on the seriousness of the situation. She’s messed up, but she’s just asking you for a chance really.”