A seaside pub and nightclub may lose its licence after a damning police report raised concerns about underage drinking, the use of class drugs, multiple fights and the carrying of knives at an under-18s disco. North Wales Police want Conwy councillors to revoke the premises licence of Sunny’s Bar (also known as Sonny's ) on Towyn Road, including the first-floor
nightclub Bentley’s.A shocking report submitted to council's licensing committee by Inspector Kevin Smith outlined a number of incidents including young teenagers being so drunk they needed medical treatment, with two being taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd; claims that children may have taken cocaine and ketamine; and children bringing alcohol into the site at an under-18s disco.
The report also recorded 16 fights, threats of and use of weapons, drunkenness, and theft. The report also alleged staff failed to intervene when vulnerable children were seen lying drunk on the pavement outside the pub.
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According to Insp Smith's report the site had been warned about holding under-18s discos in August, over reports children and teenagers were not being accompanied by parents. It then repeatedly referred to a poorly supervised 15the birthday party on 22 September 2023, which resulted in ambulance staff attending to a unconsciously drunk 13-year-old.
It also raised concerns about children taking cocaine and ketamine: “On September 22, at 19:36, a call was received by North Wales Police from the Welsh Ambulance Service who were at the premises and reported a 13-year-old child had been drinking, was losing consciousness, and that the child may have been spiked.
“It transpired that there had been a birthday party for a 15-year-old girl in the first-floor section of the premises, that it had been an invite-only party, but other children had attended the premises. No parents or legal guardians were in attendance, and only the manager John Dunne and another member of staff were staffing the party.”
The premises licence holder Tania Kendrick, was on site at the time and CCTV footage indicated she was aware of the party and observed additional children entering the premises through a rear door, the report claimed.
"When North Wales Police arrived, it was clarified that three children were in an excessively drunk state and that there was a belief that more children had been drinking. There was concern that children may have also taken cocaine and ketamine.
"It was estimated that there were 50 to 60 children, and due to the number of children in the proximity of the premises, additional police units were requested, and force incident management were made aware that a dispersal order may be required to remove the children from the area.
“Of the three children who were treated by the ambulance service at the scene, two were taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. The possibility of spiking was dismissed by paramedics who were confident that the children were just drunk. This opinion was supported by toxicology results from Ysbyty Glan Clwyd.”
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The pub and club at the time claimed children were searched when entering the building, but the police report appears to dispute this: "Children appear to enter and leave the premises of their own volition and are rarely challenged at the point of entry. Children can be seen bringing in bags and screw top bottles, the content of which may have included alcohol.
"Dunne can be seen at one point opening a bottle and sniffing the contents before returning it to a child. Bottles which had been brought into the premises were passed around as the children congregated in the pool area. Children can be seen stumbling about the premises, and both Kendrick and Dunne can be seen on CCTV, yet provide very little if any support to ensure the welfare of the children.
“The CCTV shows Dunne emptying the premises, and those children who had been drinking being helped from the premises by their friends where they then proceed to lie on the bench and floor outside until members of the public who are passing by intervene. Dunne can be seen but does not appear to be managing the situation.”
The report added, “On 24 September North Wales Police received a complaint from a parent whose child attended the party. The parent claimed that the children were kicked out of the party early, and that their daughter had disclosed that at the party were drugs and alcohol. Additionally, it was alleged that a child had a knife and knuckleduster in their possession. The complainant also stated that children were made to use the back door and then subsequently made allegations against Dunne.”
Police also received a complaint about the pub from a neighbouring business, claiming anti-social behaviour there was having a negative impact on their business. The police have asked the committee to consider a full revocation of the premises licence as the site, they say had failed to prevent crime and disorder and failed to protect children from harm, disregarding the Licensing Act 2003. Conwy ’s licensing committee, which meets on Friday, can opt to revoke the licence completely if it wishes.
The force has applied for the review on the grounds of a lack of management at the pub and nightclub, which can open until 3am. It was granted a variation to its licence in April, to include Bentley's in the existing premises licence.
If the committee seek lesser measures, police have requested that the committee consider removing Tania Kendrick as the designated premises supervisor. A range of other new conditions, including closure at 11pm and children being banned from entry.
Whilst the premises licence holders are Liverpool-based EJ Entertainment Limited, the site's operations director is employed by Group 147. But according to the report, the pub’s manager John Dunne told Conwy's licensing officers that he and staff were employed by Sinic Ltd.
Consequently, licensing officers have concerns whether appropriate management processes and structures are in place to meet licensing objectives.
Other options available to the committee include taking no action, modifying the licence, imposing new conditions, excluding a licensable activity from the licence, removing the designated supervisor, and suspending the licence for a period up to three months.
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