Birmingham nightclub faces fight to retain licence

A Birmingham nightclub faces the loss of its licence unless it can persuade councillors it has mended its ways after a mass brawl at the venue left several revellers badly hurt.

One person was taken to hospital following the fight at the Prisma club on January 28, while CCTV footage of the incident showed one man beating another with a firearm.

The Bristol Street venue had its licence temporary suspended following the incident after police said they were concerned about security at the venue.

Birmingham’s licensing sub-committee meets today (Friday) to decide whether the licence should be revoked or the club is allowed to reopen after implementing a series of recommendations designed to improve the safety of clubgoers.

The trouble flared after a private 30th birthday party at the club.

Evidence submitted to the sub-committee states that at 6.08am on Sunday January 28, the police were contacted after an ambulance was dispatched to the club following the fight. Other calls were also logged with the police regarding the incident.

A witness described a fight breaking out between two women shortly after the lights went on at the end of the event. This quickly escalated out of control. Bottles were smashed, and a woman was treated for cuts after treading on the broken glass.

CCTV footage showed a man being stamped on, while as the fight continued a firearm was produced by one man who used it to strike another. Another man is seen using a champagne bottle to strike another.

Police said it was amazing that no one was seriously hurt in the incident.

A criminal investigation into the incident is ongoing but initial inquiries have linked the disorder to organised crime.
There are clips on social media of the fight taking place.

“The clip has been viewed by licensing officers and there is a total loss of control of the venue, resulting in serious disorder and assaults taking place,” said Superintendent Mat Shaer in a submission to the council.

“West Midlands Police have serious concerns about the way in which this event was operated and managed.”

On February 1, the council agreed to impose a temporary suspension of the club’s license. In reaching its decision, the city council said security arrangements for the event, together with staffing levels and the sale of alcohol were “quite unsatisfactory”.

Earlier this month, staff at the venue, including joint licence holders Gary Douglas and Ilias Diasakos (who was the designated premises supervisor), together with bar staff and the new premises supervisor, Paul Burrows all underwent retraining covering issues such as crime and disorder and public safety.

Former police officer Paul Douglas provided the retaining and in a submission to the sub-committee he said he had made a number of recommendations.

“I read the papers in relation to the review and discussed the items with the licence holders,” he said.

“Whilst it is unacceptable that a firearm is taken into a nightclub, if it is secreted in a male’s crotch area physical search might not detect it and metal detecting wands can pick up readings from zips. Therefore advised the licence holders that a knife arch was necessary. They advised me that they were willing to install one.”

He also said that the club was proposing to appoint a new door company to oversee entry to the club.