Landlady loses licence after knowingly serving children
Susan Stoker, landlady of the Royal Mail Cart in Spalding, has had her premises licence revoked by South Holland District Council. Photo (TIM WILSON): SG220811-132TW
A PUB landlady accused of ushering underage teenagers into a back room to drink and “briefing” them on what to do if they were caught has had her licence revoked.
Royal Mail Cart landlady Susan Stoker lost her licence after “quite astonishing” evidence was put forward by Lincolnshire Police, which included reports from concerned parents about what was happening at the pub.
Solicitor Andrew Heeler said Mrs Stoker “strenuously denied” serving underage children at the hearing on Friday, but she failed to win the backing of South Holland District Council’s licensing panel.
Daniel Richardson, representing Lincolnshire Police, accused Mrs Stoker of not being concerned with her licensing objectives but “with making a quick buck” following a string of incidents throughout the year.
He said the “serious and flagrant” breaches had come from the highest level of management at the pub on Pinchbeck Road, Spalding.
Mr Richardson told how two 15-year-olds sent by Trading Standards had almost been served on October 7. In a statement from officer Heather Bellamy, he said the test purchase operation was called off when she became concerned the teenagers had been taken out of sight.
He said the teens described a woman claiming to be the landlady said she was “quite happy” to serve them and that she had asked their ages. They also said they felt she was briefing them on what to do if the police came in.
Mr Richardson said: “This is a quite astonishing piece of evidence of contact with the licence holder. Not only does the licence holder inquire about their age, she briefs them on how to act should the police arrive.”
Mrs Stoker failed a second test operation on October 28.
The panel was told Mrs Stoker had breached her licence in April with an outdoor event, despite being warned against it by council licensing officers four days earlier.
Traces of cocaine were also found in the male toilet cubicle during another visit by police in November.
Mr Heeler said Mrs Stoker “did not recall” the incident involving the two teenagers on the first test purchase operation and accepted her wrongdoing in the second.
Mr Heeler said Mrs Stoker accepted the seriousness of her position and had taken a “long, hard look” at her future and put the pub up for sale.
He said she had faced difficulties with her husband being in hospital and she faced financial pressure from Enterprise Inns, with whom she holds the lease.
Mrs Stoker has 21 days to appeal the decision.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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Comments
There are 7 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Mr Angry of Tonbridge
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 01:26 PMI bowled at the Mail Cart many moons ago and it was then a thriving pub. The owners then doubled the rent on the landlord and he quit. It's been going down hill ever since as publicans have been trying to make ends meet when having a huge millstone of inflated rent round their necks. As to serving alcohol to under age youngsters, there's more profit in soft drinks so it doesn't make commercial sense as well as being unlawful.
jonty
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 12:41 AMThis has been going on for ages unfortunately, I used to love a pint "in the cart" on a sunday but alas its not the place it once was. It was always known as somewhere you could get a late drink but serving underage drinkers is a bit too much.I I wasn't aware that drugs were an issue in there and i would guess that most pub toilets in Spalding will have traces of drugs in them after a busy night. Drugs are a massive problem around here and maybe the authorities should be looking higher up the food chain than people using drugs in pubs toilets. Having said that Mrs Stoker fully deserved to lose her licence, my bet is it will soon be licenced under her daughters name.... or could dirty dick be returning lol??
paddywack
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 10:22 PMThis has been going on for a long time at this establishment, there is no excuse for serving underage children or allowing them to use the premises for drug abuse. The management of the pub have a duty to protect young people and ensure the customers they serve are of an age to purchase and consume alcohol, they deserve to lose their licences and be stopped from trading in the future.
HollygoLula
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:45 PM@3 Akaleesh....i was merely referring to the recent article in this paper concerning the objections to a supermarket being granted a license. On the one hand we are granting opportunities to drink alcohol and on the other taking it away.
Akaleesh
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 05:04 PMExample number 20
HollygoLula
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 04:29 PMNot sure if there have been any problems with these underage drinkers after closing time?...but if not....it is strange that this pub has been targeted in a sting.....but then more 'eastern european' drinking establishment licenses have been granted?
Older Not Wiser
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 02:13 PMAt the expense of being controversial, surely it is better that young people should drink sensibly in a controlled environment than be left to binge in the street? The fact that pubs refuse to serve them will not stop them drinking. I recall having a half in the pub at sixteen under the knowing gaze of the landlord. Other countries seem to manage a sensible drinking culture. I'm not sure about this particular case, but it raises a wider issue as to why the UK suffers from the obscene ritual of its young people habitually getting drunk. And yet we have some of the tightest drinking legislation. Clearly, we are doing something wrong.
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