Bury bar loses licence after dad is stabbed outside it while trying to protect his son

A father was stabbed trying to protect his son who was set upon by a gang outside a bar.

The violence erupted outside Hidden Bar, on Silver Street in Bury,  in a 14-minute brawl that involved a ‘number’ of customers, a council licencing meeting heard.

Evidence presented to a panel of Bury councillors last Thursday included police logs from the stabbing and evidence of other incidents, including that young customers brazenly inhaled nitrous oxide outside the premises in front of door staff, with one man seen entering the premises with a balloon hanging from his mouth.

The bar was the subject of an emergency licence review at the request of Greater Manchester Police following the stabbing, which happened at around 3.30am on Saturday 10 September.

The meeting heard that a police log from the night of the attack said: “The victim has been outside Hidden Bar with his son. He has gone inside to get his girlfriend, the son has come back out and a group of around 10 lads have been talking to his girlfriend.

“The group have set upon the son and his dad has gone to defend him and he has been stabbed.”

It is understood that the man’s injuries were not serious but resulted in considerable blood loss.

The logs further stated: “At 3.31am an incident of disorder occurred immediately outside the premises resulting in numerous customers from the Hidden fighting, receiving punches and being knocked to the ground.

“The disorder continued along Broad Street with several flashpoints. As a result one man who was also a perpetrator to the disorder received a puncture would to the upper left thigh resulting in loss of blood and him being taken to hospital.”

In total, police said the disorder in the vicinity of the bar lasted for around 14 minutes.

A further ‘live’ police log of the disorder also added: “We advise that we’ve had 20 calls regarding this incident. The patient is not conscious, unknown if breathing, there is blood all over the floor outside Hidden Bar.”

The panel also heard that door staff from the bar were also ordered to wash away blood from the pavement and road shortly after the incident, something which police said could have hindered their investigations.

Evidence submitted to the council about Hidden Bar also included other incidents.

On 11 July this year, police said: “We were able to review CCTV footage showing those entering the premises looked young in age with little identification checks being carried out.

“The footage showed males congregating in the back streets outside the main entrance some of which were inhaling nitrous oxide form balloons in plain sight of door staff and then being allowed back in the premises. One of them still had the balloon hanging out of his mouth.”

Also on 8 July police received an emergency call that a 15 year-old boy had been at the bar and had collapsed outside after being ‘spiked’.

Police attended and an ambulance was called, with family members saying the boy was intoxicated but did not suspect he had been spiked.

The bar previously had a licence on to sell alcohol until 3.15am. Members of the licensing panel decided to revoke the licence from Hidden Bar.