Bernard Manning's Embassy Club has had its licence temporarily suspended following a fight last Friday in which two customers were attacked with a knife.
The premises off Rochdale Road in Harpurhey will not be allowed to operate until a full licensing review is heard by a Manchester council panel next month. It comes after one customer was cut across the face and another had his hands slashed by a 'hostile' man who had been refused entry to the pub.
An incident report had stated that the offender also slashed the bouncer's cheek, but police have now said that the doorman was punched, not attacked with a knife. In a statement to police after the incident, door staff said that two men had been refused entry to the pub – but they were overruled by the bar manager.
However, landlady Deborah Siddall, who was not at the pub during the incident, said the offenders 'pushed past' her son who was left in charge. She said: "We've not had any trouble for a few years now.
"We've not had any massive problems. I think this is the first time we've actually had anything so serious in the five years that I've run the pub.
"Is it unfortunate – don't get me wrong. It's unfortunate that it happens and it happened in my pub. But we are now making amends for it."
Siddall said new CCTV cameras were being installed 'everywhere' in the pub. It comes after police complained about delays in obtaining footage of the incident on Friday (March 11) which had first been requested the day after.
Full CCTV footage was produced on Thursday (March 17), but representing GMP at a licensing hearing, PC Alan Isherwood said he still had not seen it.
Speaking at the interim steps hearing on Friday (March 18), PC Isherwood questioned Siddall's account of how the offenders entered the premises. Responding at the hearing, she said: "It was my son Nathan who overruled it.
"Because one of the lads said his girlfriend was in the pub at the time and he wanted to go and see her, so he pushed past him to go and see her. And then as he went into the pub, he went straight round to the beer garden."
The licensing sub committee hearing panel decided to suspend the premises licence pending a full review which will be heard on Monday, April 11 at 10am. The committee described Siddall's account as the designated premises supervisor as 'very vague' and accepted the evidence given by GMP.
