Club loses underage sales appeal

A licensee has lost his Crown Court appeal against a licence suspension for three underage alcohol sales.

Jeffrey Barnett was told he was "driving a coach and horses"​ through licensing laws at the appeal.

Barnett, of Club Casi in Warrington, Cheshire, had his personal licence suspended for six months, and the premises licence suspended for three months, at Warrington Magistrates.

Police found under-18s drinking in the venue on two separate occasions in April 2007, and gave them £80 fixed penalty notices. The venue also failed a test purchase operation the following month.

Barnett - the premises licence holder and the designated premises supervisor - appealed on the ground that he was only an employee, the owners of the business would be affected and 20 were at risk of being made redundant.

But at Crown Court, Judge Roger Dutton said: "This was not merely a trivial breach of the licensing legislation. This was driving a coach and horses through the legislation."​

A statement on the Club Casi website explains the club is undergoing refurbishment and will re-open on 19 June.

The statement appears alongside a Challenge-25 poster.