Following a two-day hearing at Teesside Magistrate’s Court District Judge Hood dismissed the appeal of Porky Pint Limited against the decision of the Stockton Borough Council licensing subcommittee to revoke the license following a review into the premises.
Trinity Licensing barrister, James Kemp instructed by Stockton Borough Council, in what is understood to be one of the first hearings of this nature, opposed the appeal and submitted that the Porky Pint pub premises in Billingham had wilfully and deliberately opened in contravention of the relevant Coronavirus Regulations in force at the time, despite numerous warnings. It was argued that the opening of the pub, combined with a deliberate failure to handover CCTV footage in breach of a condition of the license, had been a conscious undermining of the licensing objectives in the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety.
The Judge in his careful analysis of the evidence had no confidence that the premises may not act in the same manner in the future should such stipulations be reimposed.
The case has attracted the following press coverage:
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