A row between police and the Sayers family over plans to sell booze on Newcastle’s busiest shopping street has been reignited.
Northumbria Police are trying once again put a stop to plans from John Henry Sayers Jr, son of notorious hardman John Henry Sayers Sr, to obtain an alcohol licence for his food kiosk on Northumberland Street – which it was previously alleged could be a precursor to a “legitimate front” for organised crime. Officers claimed earlier this year that the senior Sayers’ infamous history in the city’s criminal underworld made his son unfit to hold a licence.
The dispute was put on hold in February when Mr Sayers Jr withdrew his initial application – but it has now been kickstarted again ahead of a new council hearing this Friday. He and business partner Lyn Holmes have lodged a new application to Newcastle City Council for the right to sell alcohol from the Saye’s To Go stall, which was the subject of a suspected arson attack in September.
Read More: Police claim Sayers' hot toddies bid could pave way for 'legitimate front' to organised crime
While the initial plans submitted last year were aimed at selling mulled wine and hot toddies on a temporary basis over the festive period, the new proposal would allow booze sales every day from 10am to 6pm. Police have once again opposed the idea, writing in an objection notice to the council that they are “extremely concerned” at the prospect of Mr Sayers Jr being awarded a premises licence.
His father was jailed in 2018 after being convicted of perverting the course of justice by getting convicted killer Michael McDougall to falsely confess to a drive-by shooting outside the Tup Tup nightclub. An investigation was also launched this summer after an attack on Mr Sayers Sr’s home in Byker.
In their submissions to the council, police also say that they have “no confidence” in Ms Holmes due to “obvious links to the Sayers family” and that the licence application is “scant in detail”. City centre councillor Shumel Rahman has also strongly opposed the plans, saying the sale of alcohol at the kiosk “has a high likelihood to cause a public nuisance and the potential to encourage disorder”.
Council environmental health expert Angela Wallis also complained that the application fails to address how it would not cause “significant public nuisance” in a busy part of the city centre, while licensing boss Jonathan Bryce branded it “wholly contradictory” to council policy.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service has attempted to contact the Sayers family for a comment. Ahead of the previous licensing hearing in February, Mr Sayers Jr had claimed police were “trying to punish me for being my father’s son” and that he and Ms Holmes “should be applauded for our enterprise and initiative in encouraging a larger street trade to our city”.
In that meeting, which was cut short when the application was withdrawn, Chief Inspector David Wheeler alleged that the application was an attempt by Mr Sayers Sr to obtain a licence that could act as a precursor to a “more significant operation going forward such as a bar or a late-night venue and to create a legitimate front/venue for serious organised criminal activity”. Barrister Jeremy Barton, representing Mr Sayers Jr the time, said that the police evidence contained a “wealth of material that is inaccurate and in dispute” – warning that it was “highly sensitive, highly prejudicial, and does not directly concern the applicant”.
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