Cleo's Bar in Sunderland has licence revoked after disorder
Mr Criags' representation said a new management team was already lined up to takeover Cleo's Bar and keeping it operational was "in everyone's interests" by supporting the night-time economy.The matter went before the Labour-led council's licensing sub-committee where councillors ultimately ruled the premises licence should be revoked, noting the new management structure did not "address sufficiently their concerns".
'Pushed and punched'
Helen Thompson, solicitor for Northumbria Police, said the force had a "history of involvement" with Cleo's dating back to January 2023, when the premises licence application was first submitted.But it was three incidents in January this year which led to the licence review, Ms Thompson said.The first saw door staff strike a man with a bat after a door was damaged, the meeting heard, while the second saw an "intoxicated" member of the public being ejected "by being pushed to the floor, dragged out and punched several times".Neither incidents were reported to police, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.The hearing was told the third involved an "altercation" at the bar, which led to a fight outside that was witnessed by two staff members but not reported to the police.
The legal representative on behalf of Mr Craigs noted the licence holder acknowledged the incidents were "unacceptable"."There has been a failure in the management and operation of these premises. It is quite clear that the overarching failure is one of management," he added.The lawyer said modified premises licence conditions and a reduction of opening hours were measures they would be happy to comply with."We are here seeking to engage, to be prepared to put in place any measures which are deemed fit in order to allow the continuation of this business," he said.Following the conclusion of the hearing, council legal officers noted Mr Craigs could appeal the decision.
Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Colombia car bomb: At least five dead and dozens injured in Cali blast
At least five people have been killed and dozens injured after a car bomb exploded on a busy street in the western city of Cali in Colombia, according to blast targeted the Marco Fidel Suarez Military Aviation School in the city's north and initial reports indicate 36 people were injured, police Eder, the mayor of Cali, condemned the attack and offered a reward for information on those on Thursday, a separate attack against a police helicopter killed at least 12 people in a rural area outside the northwestern city of Medellin. According to eyewitnesses, the car bomb in Cali killed civilians in the street and damaged many houses. "There was a thunderous sound of something exploding near the air base," an eyewitness told AFP news buildings and schools were evacuated and the mayor has announced a ban on large trucks entering the Minister Pedro Sánchez called the blast a "terrorist attack" and blamed "the narco cartel alias Mordisco" - referring to guerrilla leader Ivan Mordisco of the now defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc)."This cowardly attack against civilians is a desperate reaction to the loss of control over drug trafficking in Valle del Cauca, Cauca, and Nariño, where the Public Force has neutralized much of this threat," he said on social the separate attack on a police helicopter, President Gustavo Petro said the aircraft was on a mission to eradicate coca leaf crops - a main ingredient in helicopter crashed to the ground after being hit by a least 12 people were killed, including police officers, but it was unclear whether they died in the crash or on the circulating on social media showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing in a forested area of Amalfi in the country's north.Sánchez said the attack was perpetrated by the EMC guerrilla group, the largest offshoot of has experienced a rise in violence in recent months involving clashes between security forces and dissident rebels, paramilitaries or drug attacks have also become increasingly common in recent years: in 2024, 115 such attacks were recorded in the country, most of them carried out by illegal armed week, three soldiers were killed in a drone attack in the country's south-west, where explosive devices were dropped on members of the navy and army who were manning a checkpoint.
Daily Mail
43 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Another huge Pro-Palestine march to block officonic Australian bridge this weekend - as police issue a warning to protesters
Police are vowing to arrest or charge pro-Palestine protesters if they unlawfully block traffic on a major city bridge after a magistrate denied legal protection for a proposed march. Chief Magistrate Janelle Brassington ruled that Sunday's planned march by up to 10,000 people across Brisbane 's Story Bridge would be declared an unauthorised protest. 'I'm satisfied (Queensland Police Service) has established there is a real and significant risk to persons in this case given the proposed route,' she said on Thursday. Ms Brassington said the planned protest was not unlawful but participants would not have protection against being criminally charged for actions such as obstructing traffic. Rally organiser Remah Naji said outside court that participants would still gather at the march's planned starting point in a nearby park. 'The plan is still to go ahead with a peaceful assembly ... we are considering our options at this stage,' she said. Acting Assistant Commissioner Rhys Wildman said police would act to protect the safety of the community and maintain access for emergency vehicles to the major arterial road crossing the Story Bridge. 'We have to make it quite clear that anyone participating in a protest which is not authorised faces the prospect of enforcement action being taken against them, whether that's on the day or post-event,' he said. 'There are a range of offences that are open to investigators to utilise, and we will have a significant policing presence this weekend to manage whatever response the protest organisers wish to take.' Mr Wildman urged Justice for Palestine to stay in contact with the police major events unit. Justice for Palestine Magan-djin proposed the rally as part of Sunday's nationwide day of action that has been billed as the largest pro-Palestine demonstration in Australia's history. Organisers were still considering a court appeal to authorise the march, Ms Naji said. It comes after tens of thousands of protesters marched on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the days before Anthony Albanese revealed Australia would recognise a state of Palestine. Authorities believed around 90,000 people arrived at the Harbour Bridge on Sunday afternoon, after authorities went back and forth with organisers about what would be permitted in the weeks leading up to it. Joshua Lees of the Palestine Action Group believed the true attendance was three times greater than police's estimate. 'Absolutely incredible day today… we think we had up to 300,000 people,' he said shortly after the event. After hearing emotionally-charged speeches, protesters began marching towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Hundreds of Palestinian flags waved above thousands of attendees as they crossed the bridge shoulder-to-shoulder. 'Confusing' police messages did not lead to any incidents as attendees were warned to double back on the march and return to the CBD. Police later said the march could have quickly become 'perilous'. 'I can honestly say in my 35 years of policing, that was a perilous situation,' Acting Assistant Commissioner Adam Johnson said. 'That was a very intense situation. We had more people than I'd ever seen in a small confined space. 'We were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. We had to make a risky call to halt the crowd with messaging, ensure they stopped, and then redirect them back – and I want to thank everyone for heeding that advice.'
ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Lucy Connolly to speak out for first time since being released from prison
Lucy Connolly, who was jailed for stirring up racial hatred against asylum seekers online on the day of the Southport murders, is expected to speak out on Friday for the first time since being released from prison. The 42-year-old, wife of Conservative councillor Raymond Connolly, left HMP Peterborough on Thursday morning and it is understood she will be doing limited media interviews a day after walking free. She spent time with her husband, daughter and parents on the day of her release and was pictured walking her dogs in the evening, the Daily Mail reported. Ms Connolly was handed a 31-month sentence after she posted on X: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the bastards for all I care … if that makes me racist so be it.' She pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing 'threatening or abusive' written material on X and was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court in October last year. The former childminder, from Northampton, was ordered to serve 40% of her sentence in prison before being released on licence. It is understood that Ms Connolly was a passenger in a white taxi which left HMP Peterborough via the vehicle airlock, a set of two gates exiting the prison, shortly after 10am on Thursday. Her case has sparked debate, with some criticising her sentence as excessive. Reacting to her release, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Connolly's sentence was 'harsher than the sentences handed down for bricks thrown at police or actual rioting'. In a post on X, Ms Badenoch compared Ms Connolly's case with that of Ricky Jones, a suspended Labour councillor who was found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder at an anti-racism rally in the wake of the Southport murders. Writing on X, Mrs Badenoch said: 'Juries are a cornerstone of justice, but we shouldn't have to rely on them to protect basic freedoms. 'Protecting people from words should not be given greater weight in law than public safety. If the law does this, then the law itself is broken – and it's time Parliament looked again at the Public Order Act.' Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described Ms Connolly's case as a 'symbol of Keir Starmer's authoritarian, broken, two-tier Britain'. A bid to challenge her sentence at the Court of Appeal was dismissed in May, which was described by Mr Connolly as 'shocking and unfair'. The Northampton town councillor, and former West Northamptonshire district councillor, said his wife had 'paid a very high price for making a mistake'. But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended it earlier this year. He was asked in May about Ms Connolly's case after her Court of Appeal application against her jail term was dismissed. Asked during Prime Minister's Questions whether her imprisonment was an 'efficient or fair use' of prison, Sir Keir said: 'Sentencing is a matter for our courts and I celebrate the fact that we have independent courts in this country. 'I am strongly in favour of free speech, we've had free speech in this country for a very long time and we protect it fiercely. 'But I am equally against incitement to violence against other people. I will always support the action taken by our police and courts to keep our streets and people safe.' Ms Connolly was arrested on August 6, by which point she had deleted her social media account, but other messages which included further racist remarks were uncovered by officers who seized her phone. The post was viewed 310,000 times in three and a half hours before she deleted it.
