A Woolwich town centre pub could lose its licence after a customer was stabbed on the night of a St George’s Day celebration.
The Anglesea Arms, on Woolwich New Road, has been closed since the incident three weeks ago, and faces a licence review next week with police saying that “the operation of the premises is a danger to the public”.
Paramedics were called in the early hours of Tuesday 24 April after reports that a man had been stabbed and was drifting in and out of consciousness. The ambulance service called the police, who sent in an armed unit.
Police report there was also a second call reporting a “massive fight which had resulted in a glass being smashed on a man’s head”.
Officers say their operation was “compromised and hindered”, with staff reluctant to co-operate and CCTV not working, while the suspect had escaped. Two of the three victims refused to help police, including one with a severe head injury who officers said had “admitted to being under the influence of cocaine and beer”.
Police say their body-worn video backs up what happened in the pub, which they say was a man being attacked after intervening when a man was seen hitting a woman.
Officers say that CCTV was also not working when police visited the pub earlier in the month following a violent incident, breaching its licence, and that a warning had been issued.
Another review, seven years ago, resulted in stricter conditions being placed on the pub’s licence after bar staff chased a customer into the street and stamped on him.
The pub’s licensee has told police that he was waiting for a replacement hard drive for the CCTV and that staff training had been “regrettably overlooked” in the wake of the pandemic.
The owner of a local business, Indigo Properties, has written a letter in support of the pub; however, three neighbours have said they support the review of its licence, with one alleging homophobic abuse from customers.
Last summer, the Star and Garter in east Greenwich lost its licence after a stabbing in the pub; locals are now planning to begin a fundraising campaign to buy it and turn it into a community venue.
A sub-committee of councillors will make a decision about the Anglesea Arms’ future next Thursday.
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