A Brighton off-licence faces losing its licence after police found staff were working there illegally during a check to see whether under-age customers would be asked to prove their age.
Sussex Police asked Brighton and Hove City Council’s licencing department to revoke the licence for Booze Corner, in Lewes Road.
A 17-year-old volunteer bought a bottle of Corona from the premises on Monday 30 January, the police said.
Officers carried out the test purchase after receiving reports that a vulnerable under-age boy was found drunk after being reported missing on Wednesday 28 December. The boy’s parents said that he had bought alcohol at Booze Corner.
Today (Tuesday 2 May) police licensing officer Hannah Staplehurst told a council licensing panel that the force had no confidence in Booze Corner’s owner and premises licence holder Rany Dahwch.
She said that police found multiple breaches of the licence conditions at the business which is owned by Mr Dahwch.
Ms Staplehurst told the panel that officers found three men who were either behind the shop counter or standing close to it during the police check. All three denied working at the shop.
She said that police spent an hour at the shop trying to establish who was in charge.
All three men said that they could not speak English even though one of them had spoken in English when they were initially challenged.
The panel was told that one of the shop’s licence conditions required a supervisor always to be present – and Mr Dahwch was the designated premises supervisor.
Ms Staplehurst called Mr Dahwch and he said that two of the men were working at the shop although Home Office checks indicated that neither had the right to work here.
She told the panel that Sussex Police had no confidence in Mr Dahwch – or in any proposed change in designated premises supervisor (DPS).
Nathaniel Gadsby, of TV Edwards Solicitors, for Mr Dahwch, suggested amending the licence conditions for the premises.
Mr Gadsby said that the proposed changes would ensure that all sales staff received licensing training from a specialist accredited by the Home Office, immigration checks for staff and a new DPS.
Conservative councillor Dee Simson, who chaired the panel, asked whether any of the changes to the licence conditions would make any difference to the force’s application to revoke the licence.
Ms Staplehurst said: “No. The premises should have been run under good management and should have had a person of responsibility there. Whether any other conditions would have changed anything on the night … I don’t think so.”
Mr Dahwch said that he took on the two men after his three full-time staff left in one day. One had worked there for five days and the other for just two days, he said.
Green councillors Zoe John and Claire Rainey asked about the number of staff working at the business which is open for 22 hours a day.
Mr Dahwch said that he had reduced the shop’s hours while he recruited more people.
Mr Gadsby asked councillors to consider giving his client a “yellow card”, saying that Mr Dahwch had never had issues with the police or licensing at any of his other businesses.
The lawyer said: “The enforcement policy sets out a yellow card and red card system. The circumstances, in this case, are not sufficiently serious enough for a red card at this stage.
“Mr Dahwch has acknowledged the mistakes he made and has already taken significant steps to rectify the issues that were causing concern.”
The panel retired to make its decision which should be published within five working days.
It’s not exactly an asset is it.
Is anyone surprised?
Considering there’s nothing other than wall to wall off licences fighting for business, all they care about is getting cash in the till.
I remember Lewes Road of yesterday, when it had locksmiths, sweatshops,toy shops,bike shops, tv shops, a Seeboard (now EDF) shop selling fridges/freezers,freezers and washing machines! Knitting shops and even a car showroom.
Now it’s just a den of iniquity thanks to the wall to wall takeaways and letting agencies they cater for just one group of people.
Students!
I knew Brighton would pay a high price for turning Brighton Polytechnic into a University. I didn’t think it would be this high?
Simon,
I still have a trade directory for the year I moved to the area (1974) and it’s quite amazing to see the variety of businesses and shops that operated along the Lewes Road then.
As you say the rot set in when the entire area was designated a ‘student area’ and any consideration that local families should also be catered to when down the pan.
The worse thing that as happened to this entire part of town was when the polytechnic as was became a so called university concerned only with the number of students(i.e. money) it could attract and no thought was given whatsoever to the effect this would have on what was once a family orientated area…
When people talk of the money that students bring into the town they are of course referring to money spent in coffee shops , takeaways and cheap alcohol places – families would actually spend more money as they have more things to buy…
I grew up in this area in the 60’s – 70’s
This shop was known as candy corner and was a sweet shop.
There was a newsagents about 30 yards away on upper lewes road and a cobblers another 50 yards or so.
Just along from the shop was the united reformed church, that provided a vital community hub. I had my polio vaccination there. I later went to the Boys Brigade there too. I could go on and on. sad and soul less area now that caters for the mundane tastes of students. I don’t know where they get the kids to fill the local schools such as fairlight?
Always been a dodgy store. I remember catching a previous owner dumping asbestos in my skip after the ceiling collapsed in the shop, Needless to say his impudence was not rewarded and the asbestos was removed, very rapidly 😊