Week-long booze ban for Wakefield restaurant

Belluccis on Northgate was hauled before Wakefield Council's licensing committee following an incident earlier this year in which police claimed they were obstructed by staff at the restaurant after reports of an assault.

It was claimed by police that staff helped a suspect flee the premises through a side door.

As a result, the committee decided that the alcohol licence should be revoked for seven days, unless the business can successfully appeal in the 21 days after the committee's decision.

CCTV must also be put in place at the front exterior of the restaurant, and that staff training must include management training.

West Yorkshire Police had called for sanctions after the incident on February 5, when officers were called to the restaurant, which occupies the former RBS building in the city centre, following an alleged violent altercation.

A report put to the licensing committee from the police read: "The officers entered the restaurant where they were obstructed by numerous members of staff. They were then told the suspect was no longer on the premises and had left through a side door.

"Officers asked to view CCTV footage of the event, where it was clear the the operators continued to hinder the officers from viewing the footage.

"When the officers were finally shown the footage, it showed what they believed to be staff assisting the suspect to leave the premises."

After being shown the footage, the police licensing officer supported the view that the staff "wilfully obstructed" the police and referred the incident to the council's licensing panel.

The council's own licensing officer, Paul Dean, agreed that action should be taken after he said the staff’s behaviour on the day was “emulated” at a follow-up visit.

He said: “The manager, who later identified herself as one of the owners of the venue, became argumentative and very uncooperative with the attending officers, notably when being asked about staff training failures concerning the incident being investigated.”

But in a response statement, restaurant co-owner Nkosinathi Zvimba, said: “Belluccis restaurant strongly disputes what the police said about them being disruptive in their attempts to detain and question the assault suspect.”

He said an individual police wanted to speak to left via a fire door, “which is visible to all our diners.”

He also said the restaurant called the police in the first place, insisting that staff therefore had “no reason to be uncooperative”.