Judge

Court overturns suspended licence

31-Oct-2008 By John Harrington

Magistrates have overturned a pub's licence suspension — saying it amounted to a punishment and had nothing to do with protecting the public....

Landmark pub noise victory

24-Oct-2008 By MA Reporter

Courts can take into consideration that residents who complain about noise at pubs knew it was there before they moved in, a High Court judge has ruled in a landmark case.

Licensee fined for illegal Sky screenings

03-Oct-2008 By Ewan Turney

A Liverpool licensee has been ordered to pay £4,500 in fines and costs after screening Sky using a domestic card.

Two TV football cases put on hold

25-Sep-2008 By John Harrington

Two licensees have had prosecutions for screening Premiership football via North African channel ART put on hold until Murphy appeal.

Good sense prevails for pubwatch

21-Aug-2008 By Andrew Pring

Amidst some rather bizarre human-rights legislation, it's refreshing to see common sense protecting licensees and customers from troublemakers, says MA editor Andrew Pring

Legal threat to Pubwatches averted

18-Aug-2008 By James Wilmore

A major threat to the future of Pubwatch schemes has been averted by a decision in the High Court, according to a leading licensing lawyer. High...

Murphy case referred to Europe

26-Jun-2008 By Ewan Turney

Karen Murphy case referred to the European Court of Justice

Murphy wants case referred to Europe

24-Jun-2008

Foreign satellite case kicks-off with Murphy asking for a referral to European Court of Justice

Thwaites pub hours victory

08-May-2008

Brewer Daniel Thwaites has won a benchmark legal ruling which could severely limit the ability of local residents to oppose extended pub opening...

Westminster claims victory in licensing battle

08-May-2008 By John Harrington

Judge says club can keep later hours but licence conditions need revision

Thwaites wins unprecedented High Court legal battle

06-May-2008

Thwaites has claimed a landmark victory in its High Court battle over the extended opening hours of one of its pubs.The High Court has overturned...

Suspended sentence for foreign satellite supplier

11-Apr-2008 By John Harrington

Mark Elsdon gets a 10-month suspended sentence, 150 hours unpaid work and £6,000 costs

Big fine for illegal Sky use

10-Apr-2008

A pub boss has been ordered to pay nearly £22,000 for screening football via domestic Sky contracts at three pubs. It is the biggest penalty yet for...

Pub owner hit with £22,000 fine for illegal Sky

04-Apr-2008 By James Wilmore

The owner of three pubs has been hit with a bill of nearly £22,000 for showing Sky without a commercial licence - the largest penalty ever issued...

Pub boss gets £22,000 Sky fine

04-Apr-2008 By John Harrington

Fine is the largest penalty yet for screening Sky via domestic contracts

Satellite trials go to Crown Court

03-Apr-2008 By John Harrington john.harrington@william-reed.co.u

Licensees plan to fight Sky all the way Five licensees face Crown Court trials in front of a jury for screening football via foreign satellite...

Smoke rebel to pay £4k

03-Apr-2008

Smoke ban rebel Hamish Howitt has been ordered to pay almost £4,000 in the latest prosecution for flouting the ban. But he is "very pleased", saying...

Sussex licensee faces hefty bill for illegal Sky

14-Mar-2008 By James Wilmore

An East Sussex licensee has been ordered to pay more than £5,000 after being convicted of showing Sky without a commercial licence. Elaine Boggins,...

Opening hours dispute goes to the High Court

06-Mar-2008

A landmark legal challenge to overturn a decision to cut a pub's opening hours will be heard in the High Court this week.In what is believed to be...

Licensee faces £10,000 bill for illegal Sky

07-Feb-2008 By James Wilmore

Two licensees have been dealt severe punishments for showing Sky without a commercial licence - one hit with a pay-out of £10,000 and another having...

Rebel to appeal against 'extortionate' court order

31-Jan-2008

SMOKING ban rebel Nick Hogan has vowed to fight an order to pay £10,000 for letting people smoke in his pubs. At Bolton Magistrates Court this week...

Howitt drops smoke ban appeal

15-Jan-2008

Smoke ban rebel Hamish Howitt has withdrawn his appeal against his original conviction for flouting the smoking ban.Howitt withdrew his appeal at...

Police storm pub to check for drunks

10-Jan-2008 By Joe Lutrario

A dozen police officers burst into a Birmingham pub to check for drunk customers. The raid on the Prince of Wales, which occurred in November, left...

Licensing battleground

10-Jan-2008

Westminster is the entertainment capital of the world - but on its own terms. Increasingly, the borough is taking a tougher line on licensing as the...

Murphy foreign satellite appeal judge dies

07-Jan-2008 By James Wilmore

One of the judges presiding over Karen Murphy's High Court foreign satellite football appeal has died. Sir Nicholas Pumfrey, a Lord Justice and...

Legal advice: Tribunals

11-Oct-2007

IT IS an unspoken law of all court hearings that your case never looks better than it does the minute after you've had your say and before the other...

Smoke ban rebels faces court on November 5

06-Sep-2007

Smoking ban flouter Hamish Howitt has changed his name by deed poll to Hamish ŒGuy Fawkes¹ Howitt to celebrate the first day of his court case ­...

Smoking ban flouters vow to fight on

16-Aug-2007 By Eleanor Goodman

Licensees flouting the smoking ban claim they will continue to defy the new law until a guilty verdict is reached in the Hamish Howitt court case....

Licence suspended for illegal Sky screening

25-Jun-2007 By John Harrington

Host has personal licence suspended for six months after screening Sky football in his pub using a domestic contract.

Personal licence lost in illegal Sky case

25-May-2007 By James Wilmore

A landmark legal case has seen a licensee stripped of his personal licence for showing Sky without a commercial contract. It is the first time a...

Licensee's second domestic Sky prosecution

13-Apr-2007

A Dudley licensee has been prosecuted for the second time in six months for showing Sky Sports in his pub using a domestic viewing card. John...

Funding legal turmoil

29-Mar-2007

A Portsmouth licensee who had been persuaded to appeal to the Crown Court against her conviction for showing live football in breach of copyright...

Licensee's satellite conviction upheld

22-Mar-2007 By Iain O'Neil iain.oneil@william-reed.co.uk

A Portsmouth licensee who appealed against a conviction for showing foreign satellite football has lost her case. Karen Murphy, of the Red, White and...

Foreign satellite licensee's appeal dismissed

15-Mar-2007 By Iain O'Neil

£12,000 hit after Judge says she "hid" behind legal advice

FACT reveals Sky domestic prosecution figures

02-Mar-2007

FACT says a total of around 600 prosecutions have been brought for using Sky domestic contract to screen football in pubs.

Cashbox facing huge costs bill over Hanco case

26-Feb-2007 By Hamish Champ

A court has ordered ATM group Cashbox, together with its founder Carl Thomas, to pay significant costs to Thomas' former employer Hanco in respect of...

Community service for football cheat

13-Feb-2007

Licensee gets 100 hours for showing on a domestic card.

Contempt risk over TV case

07-Sep-2006 By Peter Coulson

Contempt of court is a serious matter — you can be banged up overnight for having the temerity to argue with a man in a wig and a red robe....

Punch drops legal bid against Leeds Council

06-Apr-2006

Punch Taverns has dropped its plans to ask for a judicial review against Leeds City Council. Punch claimed that the conditions placed on four of its...

Licensee wins closed period court case

27-Mar-2006 By Iain O'Neil

Crown Court judge rules in favour of licensee but MPS says case is another one-off. NEW COMMENT

Reining in of council tendencies

30-Jun-2005

The success of the High Court challenge to Canterbury Council over its licensing policy will clearly have far-reaching im- plications, but whether it...

Canterbury case proves trade landmark

30-Jun-2005

The trade has won a landmark legal case against Canterbury City Council after a High Court judge ruled its licensing policy to be 'unlawful. The...

High Court victory for pub industry

24-Jun-2005

The pub trade has won a landmark legal case after a High Court judge ruled that a council's licensing policy was unlawful.Licensees, pub companies...

Day two: judge warns of licensing 'chaos'

16-Jun-2005

Pubs could be plunged into further chaos under the new Licensing Act, a High Court judge has warned.The warning came during the second day of the...

Cabinet Office to study implementation of Licensing Act

28-Apr-2005

The spiralling amounts of paperwork and bureaucracy surrounding the new licensing regime have prompted an investigation by the government's red tape...

Licensee continues to back quizmaster after court battle

12-Jan-2005

A publican has re-affirmed his faith in his quizmaster after he was cleared of cheat allegations when a two and a half year court battle ended...

Councils exceed licensing powers

07-Oct-2004

Trade warns that legal battles in court lie ahead by Ewan Turney Trade leaders have warned that many local authorities face legal battles in the...

Crehan's beer tie battle returns to court

01-Apr-2004

The long-running beer tie dispute between Bernard Crehan and Inntrepreneur took yet another turn when the ex-licensee returned to court to challenge...

Strangle

05-Feb-2004

A pub landlord has been jailed by Worcester Crown Court for trying to strangle his wife. Alan Clarke, licensee at the Live and Let pub near Bromyard,...

W&D loses court battle over host's dodgy liquor

04-Dec-2003

by MA Reporter Wolverhampton & Dudley has lost a High Court test case over whether it has legal responsibility for the action of a pub manager in...