City bar stripped of licence after drink-spiking allegation
Sky Blue's owner had shown "a blatant disregard for the conditions attached to the Premise Licence", York councillors said
At a glance
A teenager claimed her drink was spiked on a night out at the Sky Blue venue in January 2022
Previously named the Regency, illegal workers there were earlier found to have been paid as little as £2 an hour
However, the owner's defence team said there had been "an improving picture of compliance"
Police said licence holder Kheng Chooi Koay had showed "a blatant disregard for conditions" and councillors revoked his licence
- Published
A York bar where a 16-year-old girl's drink was allegedly spiked and from which illegal workers were removed by immigration officers has been stripped of its licence.
The Sky Blue restaurant and karaoke bar on Barbican Road had breached licensing conditions aimed at preventing crime and disorder, protecting children from harm and upholding public safety, City of York Council said.
A number of breaches had been identified since September 2017, when the bar was known as the Regency, including the employment of illegal workers, some of whom were being paid "no more than £2-£3 per hour", a council report said, external.
Meanwhile, police had visited the venue after a teenager reported her drink had been spiked on a night out there on 21 January 2022, it added.
When the site was known as the Regency, illegal workers there were found to have been paid as little as £2 an hour
In a statement, external, the teenager told officers that after leaving the bar she had felt "dizzy and couldn’t keep my head up, but I knew I wasn’t drunk".
She said: "I tried to speak to my friend, but my jaw locked and I couldn’t speak... My friend said my jaw was swinging and my eyes were all over the place. I can't remember anything else."
A drug test the following day showed she was positive for benzodiazepines, the 16-year-old said.
A criminal investigation into the incident highlighted failings, including lack of CCTV footage at the bar, which had hampered the police inquiry and meant it could not progress.
In the council's decision to revoke the licence, external from holder Kheng Chooi Koay, police said he had showed "a blatant disregard for the conditions attached to the Premise Licence".
He had "failed to take responsibility for the running of the premises and ensuring compliance", councillors added.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Koay had accepted a police caution for breaking licensing laws earlier in 2022.
Meanwhile, in 2018, when Mr Koay was then-owner of the Mr Happy restaurant and takeaway in Blossom Street, he had admitted breaching fire regulations at those premises.
Duncan Craig, Mr Koay's representative, admitted there had been "issues" at Sky Blue.
However, he called for its licence to be suspended rather than revoked because there had been "an improving picture of compliance".
Mr Koay promised to do his “very best” to comply with his licence for Sky Blue, Mr Craig said.
But, following private deliberations, councillors decided to revoke it.