Club safety questioned after Freshers' Week fall

Timepiece said staff did everything needed to get the young woman home

Serious concerns have been raised for students during Freshers' Week after a young woman fell backwards down stairs in a nightclub before she was moved out of the club by security staff.

The woman, a first year student at the University of Exeter, was seen on CCTV in the Timepiece nightclub in September coming out of toilets supported by friends before she fell backwards down a metal staircase.

Lawyer David Dadds, acting on behalf of the unnamed student, brought a review of the club's licence and said staff "failed to provide basic care".

The club told Exeter City Council's licensing committee staff were "compassionate" and did everything needed to get the young woman home.

A male student at the University of Exeter went into a coma after a night out, the licensing hearing was told

The licensing committee also heard a male student who had been to the club in Freshers' Week in September 2024 collapsed about 500m (1,640ft) away from the premises and went into a coma.

The committee was told he was in hospital for a month and the University of Exeter paid for accommodation for his parents to stay nearby.

The university said: "We can't comment on individual cases, however we always seek to support the families of students in any way we can when they face traumatic circumstances."

It emerged during the hearing that Timepiece managed their door staff internally and did not previously have the correct licence in place.

The committee also heard the overproof rum Tiki Fire, which the female student had been drinking shortly before she fell down the stairs, was no longer being sold at Timepiece.

Lawyer David Dadds said there were a series of failures by the club

The committee was shown CCTV of the woman coming out of the toilets with friends, falling down the stairs and then being picked up and taken outside by security staff.

Another staff member then tried to organise a taxi and the young woman left with friends supporting her but she was seen face down on the pavement nearby about 20 minutes later.

Mr Dadds, who was representing the woman for the public good and without payment, said: "What we have just seen is a series of repeated failures where staff failed to provide basic care."

He said the woman was "coming in and out of consciousness" and security staff should have checked her for any potential head or spinal injuries and monitored her for the possibility of concussion.

He said they were "unprofessional in the face of a medical emergency".

Mr Dadds said he did not want Timepiece to lose its licence but he wanted young people to be able to enjoy a night out and "return home safe and sound".

Chris Rees-Gay, the legal representative for Timepiece, said the club had been "an institution" in Exeter since 1975.

He said the young woman was "not in medical distress" and that door staff were "compassionate and assisted in trying to get the complainant home".

Rob Skinner, who has managed the club since 1983, said the licensing review process had been "very unfair and unnecessary".

He said: "It's a very stressful job and we take it very seriously."

Sgt David Flynn, from the alcohol licensing team at Devon and Cornwall Police, watched the CCTV of the incident and said there was "nothing which concerns me in relation to due diligence".

There had been concerns raised about the possibility of spiking but Sgt Flynn said there was no evidence to support that.

Karen Davenport, alcohol licensing officer at Devon and Cornwall Police, told the committee it emerged Timepiece ran security internally and did not have the correct licence in place but took immediate steps to get a new licence.

Mr Dadds asked the committee to put in place a series of conditions including having welfare officers on site during Freshers' Week and other seasonally busy periods.

The council's licensing committee retired after hearing about six hours of evidence and will deliver its decision within five working days.