A city centre bar where a gunman was involved in a fight which left one stabbed in the leg has been allowed to resume trading after it shut.
Officers descended on the Lawn Club after a member of staff called the police on June 4 saying there was a 'large group of people fighting' and that one had a gun. They went on to say that another man was lying unconscious and that they thought that the man with the gun had now left.
At 10.25pm, ambulance crews told police that a man had been stabbed in the leg but that the knife was no longer in his leg and they did not know where it was, according to a GMP report published ahead of the previous licensing hearing on June 7.
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Staff were left 'shocked and devastated' in the wake of the attack and the Spinningfields venue voluntarily closed after the ‘extremely frightening’ fight, which saw a trail of blood left on the pavement outside. The attack happened during an event being hosted by the bar, hearings heard.
A 'huge amount of investigation' into the incident is now taking place to identify those responsible and the stabbing victim. Firearms officers were told that the victim had got up and walked away, according to the police report.
CCTV footage of the attack showed an argument between two men before a third turned up and pulled out a black handgun which 'thankfully was not fired', according to the report. It said: "Officers also noted that there was blood inside the premises, near to the door of the premises and then a trail of blood leading away from the premises."
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Representatives from Hardman Bars Limited, who run the bar on Hardman Square, appealed to Manchester City Council’s Licensing Sub Committee to allow the bar to reopen ahead of the final review hearing on Friday (June 30). At the first hearing on June 7, councillors suspended the licence pending the result of the review.
They proposed multiple new conditions to the licence in order to show the owners have responded and learned from the incident for which they are ‘so sorry' for, Manchester Town Hall heard. These conditions included giving Greater Manchester Police 14 days notice for any future events, implementation of random searches, inclusion of regular SIA trained door staff, CCTV installation (which they already had) and the inclusion of Martyn’s Law.
Martyn’s Law is legislation to ensure stronger protections against terrorism in public places, named in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. Representatives at the hearing believed if these measures were in place prior to June 4, this incident may have been prevented.
Although a full summary review hearing will take place on Friday to decide the fate of The Lawn Club, the bar will be allowed to open again ahead of the meeting during what was described by the applicant as a ‘difficult time for the hospitality industry’, the panel heard.
Anthony Ellis, managing director, and Thomas McCartney, the designated premises supervisor for Hardman Bars Limited, both promised that external events like this would not be something they would consider going forward. They told the committee that this was not in keeping with their brand and the trial event was an offer to make their Sunday business busier - which they now regret.
Coun Julie Reid, chair of the committee, who expressed concerns about the speed at which staff responded to the incident, said: “It’s the intervention and how slow it was I am concerned about. We have to think about the confidence we have in the staff. This escalation was not stopped quickly.”
In response, Thomas McCartney said: “When you see the CCTV, it went from zero to a hundred in the click of a button. Our team did what they should have done.
“I wouldn’t have asked any of my guys to challenge the guy with the gun. The pushing and shoving that happened outside happened within about 40 seconds.
“We raised an alert that there was a weapon and phoned for support from around the Spinningfields area.”
Mr McCartnery confirmed to the committee that GMP’s firearms team was on the scene within four minutes. An investigation into the incident is still ongoing, GMP have confirmed.
The committee agreed to allow the Lawn Club to continue trading ahead of the summary review hearing on Friday. Manchester Town Hall was told that all conditions proposed by the applicant would be applied to the licence, with the addition that they would not be allowed to host external events or submit Temporary Event notices in the future.
Following the incident on June 4, a spokersperson for The Lawn Club operator Hardman Bars said: "On Sunday, June 4, an incident occurred at The Lawn Club, the premises operated by Hardman Bars. This was during an event organised by a third-party promoter.
"As a result of this incident, we voluntarily closed the premises temporarily. We also recognise and fully comply with the request by GMP for a temporary suspension of our licence while the incident is investigated and reviewed in full. This is for 28 days from Wednesday, June 7.
"We are cooperating entirely with GMP and Manchester City Council to provide any information they require in relation to the incident.
"We’d like to reassure our customers and the community that this is an isolated incident. But nevertheless, the safety of our team, customers and the community are of the highest importance to us. As such, during this period of closure, we will be actively working with the authorities and relevant parties to review all policies and procedures in place at the premises."
A spokesperson for Allied London, which manages the Spinningfields estate, said: "We are aware of an incident having occurred at a premises operated by Hardman Bars, who are a longstanding tenant in the Spinningfields district. We are supporting their team and the authorities to provide any assistance and cooperation in the ongoing investigation."
