Bar keeps licence despite criticism over drugs death

Council bosses said the club was "very lucky" to have been able to stay open

A lack of action by staff denied a man "the chance to survive” after he collapsed when taking drugs at a city centre bar, a council meeting has heard.

The 41-year-old man died in hospital on 1 September after he took cocaine at La Finca Eivissa bar and restaurant in Liverpool.

Liverpool City Council heard how the man was laid out by door staff behind a parked car at the Ibiza-themed venue on Colquitt Street after he had collapsed.

Merseyside Police said a failure by staff to call an ambulance or administer first aid was a "serious neglect”.

A licensing and gambling sub-committee hearing was told of the incident ahead of making a decision on whether the premises would be able to keep its licence, the Local Democracy Reporting Service wrote.

Sgt Craig Carmichael said it was a night that "changed the life of family and friends” forever.

He said it was "unlikely” the man would have made it through the night in any case but failings were still made.

Sgt Carmichael said the man had entered the bar with a female friend and just before 00:30 BST, purchased two bags of cocaine from another man.

'Dumped on ground'

CCTV footage showed him using the substance at about 02:10 BST before he collapsed behind a table inside the bar.

It was said his female friend began to ask for help, thinking he had been punched by a man in a white t-shirt, causing a commotion.

Sgt Carmichael said three minutes later, door staff lifted the man and carried him from the bar area to “dump him on the ground behind a parked car some distance away from the venue".

The officer said the staff then "carried on with their jobs” as normal and no checks were made regarding the man’s wellbeing as he was left flat on his back and had likely gone into cardiac arrest.

Sgt Carmichael said management, including a 25-year-old assistant general manager who was outside handling a queue, should have “taken control” and administered first aid.

Committee chairwoman Christine Banks told the meeting: "The buck stops with the assistant general manager. He has to take responsibility. He should have done his job and he didn’t.”

Ms Banks said the hearing had been brought in "very tragic circumstances” and there was "no excuse” for the man being dumped outside.

She added there had also been no excuse for emergency services not being called by staff.

But the business was allowed to keep its premises licence.

The panel accepted the argument door staff were incompetent and had acted in a way that undermined the licensing objectives but ultimately the responsibility lay with the designated premises supervisor.

Director Stephen Thompson said he was “incensed and disgusted” at what had happened.

'Very lucky'

All three security guards had their licences revoked and Mr Thompson said he had dismissed the company that provided the staff having had issues with individuals previously, claiming they had been sent “new and inexperienced” workers who spoke “little or no English.”

The director also said he felt the staff provided by the security firm had let in a different type of clientele, describing them as the “wrong crowd.”

Addressing Mr Thompson directly, chairwoman Ms Banks said: "You’re very lucky” and the panel were "not happy with what we’ve seen".

She added: "This should never happen again.”

Mr Thompson admitted staff "could and should have done more” and acknowledged the incident had been handled "atrociously”.