McSwiggins - House of Stout, a Liverpool city centre pub, was broken into less than a week after it opened, causing an estimated £10,000 in damages. The venue opened on July 15 at 25 Fenwick Street in the Grade II listed Castle Moat House, which had been empty for years.
Details of the burglary
The break-in occurred before 6:40am on July 21. Staff reported that storage areas were ransacked and a substantial amount of premium stock was stolen. Structural damage was caused in an attempt to reach an upper floor. Intruders reportedly returned, leading to one suspect being apprehended by a staff member who arrived on site.
Impact and response
General manager Dean McClafferty described the damage as “devastating” after the hard work put into restoring the building. He said: “Firstly, thank you to everyone who has supported McSwiggins since we opened last Wednesday. The response over our first few days has been incredible and we're so grateful for everyone who's visited and supported us. Unfortunately, we'll be delaying opening today after the venue was broken into overnight and the bar was vandalised. We estimate upwards of £10,000 worth of damage, including stolen stock, equipment and furnishings. It's devastating to see the hard work, care and passion that went into restoring this beautiful Grade II listed building damaged so soon after opening. Our team has spent weeks bringing this historic space back to life and it's heartbreaking to face a setback like this just days after welcoming our first customers.”
The team worked to clean and repair the venue, aiming to open later that day. McClafferty added: “We won't let this incident take away from everything we've built, and we can't wait to welcome you all back through our doors very soon.”
Arrest and police appeal
A 41-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of burglary and racially aggravated public order after allegedly being abusive towards police. He remains in custody. Merseyside Police Inspector Chantel Peers said: “Although our officers made a swift arrest this morning after the incident we are still carrying out CCTV and witness enquiries in the area. Therefore I would appeal to anyone who works in the area to check their CCTV footage from the early hours of this morning in case it captured anything suspicious, no matter how small, as any information may help with the investigation. Business theft is not a victimless crime – it has a real impact on people who live and work in our communities leading to loss of revenue and businesses temporarily closing whilst they repair any damage. We take retail crime extremely seriously in Merseyside so please come forward with any information you may have so our officers can prevent any further offences.”
Anyone with information can call 101 or DM @MerPolCC on social media, quoting reference number 26000590452, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
