A karaoke bar in Ashton town centre has been temporarily shut down after a man died following an incident at the venue over the weekend. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launched a murder investigation after the death of 31-year-old Shane Cullen at Blues Cabaret and Karaoke Bar on Bow Street at 2.40am on Saturday, July 11.
Charges and Investigation
Carl Cooper, 36, of Smallshaw Lane, Ashton-under-Lyne, has been charged with murder, assault, and two counts of common assault in connection with the investigation. GMP called on Tameside Council to temporarily suspend the bar’s licence following the incident. A licensing hearing was held on July 14 at the Tameside One council building, where the town hall’s licensing panel deliberated on the matter.
PC Craig Foley told the panel: “There is a concern over the management of the premises and their capability to run a safe venue for members of the public to visit. Greater Manchester Police request that the licensing authority consider the suspension of the premises licence until the full review is heard before the committee.”
Voluntary Closure and Condolences
Bar owners Christopher Thompson and Colin Campbell attended the hearing. They stated they had voluntarily closed their venue following the death and agreed with the police’s judgement that a temporary suspension should be imposed. Mr Campbell said: “We and the staff are devastated by the death of Shane Cullen and our thoughts are with his family. We understand the police have requested to suspend the licence. We are not opposing that. We are already reviewing how we operated on that night so we can see how things could or should have been done differently.” He offered the bar’s “sincere condolences” to Mr Cullen’s loved ones. PC Craig Foley commended the pair’s “respectful” decision to comply with the suspension and voluntarily close down for the foreseeable future.
Panel Decision and Next Steps
The licensing panel, chaired by Coun Greg McNally, decided to temporarily suspend the licence of Blues Cabaret and Karaoke Bar until a full licence review takes place. The next hearing will occur within 28 days, following investigations from police and licensing authorities.
