City centre pub keeps licence despite violence
Police said violence at the Three Legs on 2 February had been an "escalation" from previous incidents
- Published
A Leeds city centre pub has avoided having its premises licence revoked despite warnings from the police over violent incidents.
The Three Legs on The Headrow was the subject of a licence review after police were called to an incident outside the pub on 2 February.
A report to Leeds City Council said two males were ejected after a fight broke out. One later went to hospital with a stab wound, with a third man stabbed as violence continued away from the pub.
The licensing committee decided revoking the pub’s licence would not be proportionate but imposed conditions including an improved search policy and more door staff.
PC Andy Clifford told the committee there had been a history of such incidents at the pub.
"There appears to be a low bar for behaviour from the customers," he said.
'Evidence doesn’t stack up'
Following the 2 February incident, an interim review of the licence was carried out and conditions agreed, including door searches, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Piers Warne, representing pub company Greene King, told Thursday’s hearing: “There is no evidence provided today by the police to require further steps and more draconian steps.
“PC Clifford wants you to believe that the Three Legs is this consistently terrible, high-crime pub. The evidence just doesn’t stack up.”
He said Greene King would continue to work with the police.
He added: “If there’s any sense from PC Clifford that Greene King is not taking this seriously we want this nipped in the bud.”
PC Clifford said on one occasion police had observed 12 people entering the pub and 11 were not searched.
He said: “On the balance of what I’ve said today I do feel this premises needs to have its licence revoked.”
The hearing was told that hundreds of people had signed a petition calling for the pub to stay open.
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