A PUB landlord was prosecuted for making the “silly mistake” of selling alcohol at his pub after its licence had lapsed.
Thomas O’Sullivan, 63, from Eaton near Abingdon, appeared at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on Friday February 25 and pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching the Licensing Act at The Eight Bells in Eaton in July last year.
The court heard that the landlord was informed in June 2021 that the premises licence at The Eight Bells had become invalid after the company, the Eight Bells Ltd, which held the licence, had ceased trading.
O’Sullivan had been informed that as there was no licence for the premises anyone allowing or carrying out what would have been licensable activities including selling alcohol, would be committing an offence under the Licencing Act.
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Magistrates heard that on July 10, 2021, police had witnessed alcohol being sold at the pub despite the warning about the lack of licence the previous month.
The pub landlord was given another warning to stop selling alcohol.
Again, on July 17, at lunchtime he was found to still be running the pub and selling alcohol and despite receiving another warning he was caught again serving alcohol that same evening.
In mitigation, it was said that O’Sullivan had held a premises licence for 11 years without incident and although he was exceptionally sorry for this “silly mistake”, the error occurred because he had asked a fellow licensee to help him apply for a new premises licence and he thought this had been done, but then realised it hadn’t.
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In sentencing, magistrates took into account Mr O’Sullivan’s early guilty plea.
They imposed a fine of £300 for each of the two offences, £975 towards prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £60, which came to a total of £1,635 to be paid within 28 days.
Councillor Helen Pighills, Cabinet Member for Healthy Communities with responsibility for licensing, said: “The licensing laws are there for a reason, namely, to keep the public safe by ensuring landlords of pubs and restaurants and others involved in selling alcohol are regulated and accountable. As a licensing authority the council is committed to upholding these laws across the district and will prosecute those who break them.”
Following the prosecution, the premises licence for The Eight Bells is currently in the name of Sheehan Haulage and Plant Limited who are the owners of the premises.
O’Sullivan now has a role in running the pub, but Owaine Jones is the designated premises supervisor who holds the responsibility for running the business.
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