Booze sting shames bars

From the archive, first published Friday 17th Feb 2006.

Staff at four Oxford bars have become the first in the city hit with £80 fines for serving schoolgirls in an undercover drinking sting.

Two 15-year-old girls were sent out on Wednesday night under the joint police and city council operation and got served at The Old School, Chequers, Bubbly Bar and Eurobar.

They were turned away at three other venues -- Antiquity Hall, in Hythe Bridge Street, Mood bar, in George Street, and Que Pasa, in New Road.

Karen Crossan, manager of Nightsafe, the scheme to combat Oxford's drug and alcohol-related problems, was shocked the teenagers were served Bacardi Breezers at four bars -- especially since Oxford's pubs and bars had been warned of the sting.

On Wednesday night, two undercover council officers went into the bars, followed by the two 15-year-olds. If they were served, they would tell the officers and uniformed police would then come into the pub and issue the £80 fine to the guilty member of staff.

Ms Crossan said they targeted venues they suspected might serve underage drinkers.

She said none of the bars fined were members of the Nightsafe charter, a voluntary contract which bans drinks promotions and insists door staff wear high-visibility jackets.

Ms Crossan said: "I am shocked that four out of seven served our test purchasers.

"The girls used did not look 18 and were not dressed up or made up for the occasion.

"We will be doing this type of operation on a regular basis and we will be issuing fines and if there are repeat offenders we will be looking at reviewing their licences."

Insp Graham Sutherland, of Oxford police, was disappointed because he wrote to all the licensees in the city warning them of the sting and there was a story in the Oxford Mail.

He said: "The young people who took part were obviously below 18 and in my view no reasonable person could claim that they believed them to be 18 or above." Susan Brown, the city council's executive member for crime and community safety, was shocked at how easily the girls were served.

Three of the four bars were contrite last night.

Chris Proudfoot, owner of The Old School, in Gloucester Green, said: "It was unfortunate. We are doing everything we can to try and stop underage drinking."

A spokesman for the Bubbly Bar, in Park End Street, said: "It was a mistake. It was not a normal member of our bar staff and we regret it and are very upset."

Todd O'Boyle, manager of Eurobar, in George Street, said: "Although he (the barman) did something wrong, the police set up the crime.

"I can't believe the police can do something like that, sending underage people into a bar to commit a crime."

The Chequers pub, in St Thomas Street, refused to comment.

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