Gbar, a gay bar in Liverpool city centre, will be allowed to reopen after three men were stabbed outside the venue last month. The venue on Tithebarn Street had its licence suspended immediately following the incident, but will now be permitted to welcome clubbers again.
Liverpool Council’s licensing and gambling sub-committee will permit the venue to open its doors again until 8am following a lengthy hearing at the town hall today, Friday. This is despite Merseyside Police seeking to have the closing time scaled back to 6am.
Three men charged after stabbing
Police confirmed three men were charged following the stabbing. Patrick Morgan, 31, of Canterbury Way, Liverpool, has been charged with two counts of Section 18 wounding with intent, violent disorder and possession of a bladed article.
Jonny Gee, 18, of Halkyn Drive, Everton, has been charged with two counts of Section 18 wounding with intent, violent disorder and possession of a bladed article. Stephen Gee, 22, of Halkyn Drive, Everton, has been charged with one count of Section 18 wounding with intent, violent disorder and possession of Class B controlled drugs. All three appeared at Wirral Magistrates' Court in September ahead of a crown court hearing this month.
Management changes and police concerns
Sarah Taylor, agent acting on behalf of the owners, told councillors how the management and door staff on duty on the night of September 20 were all dismissed. A new designated premises supervisor (DPS) has also been appointed. PC Nicola Ireland said the altercation last month had been preceded by two additional incidents that management at Gbar had failed to report to police.
PC Ireland said in December last year, an affray took place involving 10 people fighting outside the front door of the premises at 7.45am. She said door staff found themselves outnumbered and retreated inside to ensure patrons were kept safe. In March this year, it was alleged a bottle was used as a weapon on one occasion while a week later, a member of door staff was said to have assaulted a customer and an allegation was also made about sexual assault. Neither of these were reported to police nor was there adequate CCTV coverage.
The officer said this had demonstrated “a culture” of not reporting matters to police, with improvements not made to the venue until the incident last month. PC Ireland added how they did not have confidence in Nation Security continuing as the firm in charge of staffing the doors at the venue but Gbar had opted to retain them.
Business response and licence reinstated
On behalf of the business, Ms Taylor said: “Sometimes things go wrong and this is one of those occasions where things go wrong.” She said previous DPS Howard Gwynn had been “let down by the previous management team” and a change of security company would not be beneficial. Ms Taylor said Nation “know the city well” citing their work at dozens of other venues and praised their ability to recognise the “people you don’t want” at bars and clubs. The agent added increased staff training would be introduced, delivered by Trading Standards.
Karl Gwynn, representing Gbar, said management were keen to “admit our mistakes” and “would like to move forward with this". Keith Blohm, the new DPS, said he was keen to establish a positive working relationship with Merseyside Police and said the LGBT community “needs GBar". This sentiment was echoed by Simon Harris, chief executive of Sahir House, who said the venue was a place where those working in the late night economy could visit after hours. He added how it was “not just another club, it’s an important part of the LGBT community and night time economy".
Mr Harris said Gbar was a place members of the LGBT community could “be free and themselves, even just holding hands". Members of the panel agreed to reinstate the licence. Cllr Christine Banks, committee chair, urged officials to “do your duty” and “protect the people” visiting the city during the night. Addressing the new DPS Mr Blohm, she called on him to “be vigilant and protect people and the business".
