CCTV blunder failed to record brawl that left man with dent in his head from house brick

A pub has been criticised for ‘hindering’ a police investigation after failing to record CCTV of a brawl which left a man with a dent in his head.

The owner of the New Gate Inn in Bilston Road, Wolverhampton, will face a council hearing after the pub was found to have no CCTV cameras following a brawl in late June that saw a man left with serious injuries. 

The pub’s licence holder Raj Kumar Jassal admitted to police that CCTV had not been recorded at the venue ‘for years’ and he did not know it was a requirement. 

A licensing hearing will take place in Wolverhampton on August 20 to decide the fate of the pub.

West Midlands Police said an argument had started in the pub that then spilled into an eight-man brawl on the street.

A man was then hit in the face and head by a house brick leaving a one-and-a-half inch cut to the forehead, two black eyes and a broken nose. 

Paramedics feared the man who was attacked had suffered a serious depressed skull fracture and he was rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham because of the dent in his head.

Scans later revealed there was no fracture, bleed or internal damage but the victim did have his head glued.

West Midlands Police said it was concerned by the licence holder not having “authority or control over the premises” and it was “not being run properly.”

Raj Kumar Jassal was named as licence holder and designated supervisor on the licence but told police that while he remained the licence holder, he had not been supervisor since 2008 and the current supervisor was Paul Tonks. 

Mr Jassal, who told police he lives above the pub, said a former supervisor James Reade had taken the CCTV system’s hard drives and they were never replaced. 

He admitted to an officer that there had not been CCTV inside the pub “for years.”

City of Wolverhampton Council added to the “significant” concerns saying the pub had never applied to change its named supervisor despite several people holding the role over the years. 

The investigation into June’s assault was also “hindered” by the pub’s lack of CCTV and unclear management.”

“The [licence holder] resides above the premises but has limited involvement in day-to-day operations,” the council said in a report published ahead of the meeting. “There is no evidence of staff training, incident logging, or proactive management to uphold licensing objectives.

“[He] demonstrated a lack of understanding of basic licensing requirements, including the need for a designated supervisor and the importance of CCTV, raising concerns about the suitability of the premises to operate safely. 

“These issues collectively demonstrate a failure to promote the licensing objectives and pose a risk to public health and community safety. 

“The lack of structure, oversight, and compliance is particularly concerning in a venue operating in the night-time economy.”