COUNCIL TO PAY PUB pounds 100K BILL; Court rules in favour of Irish bar.Byline: EXCLUSIVE By NORMAN SILVESTER OWNERS of an Irish bar are to get their pounds 100,000 legal bill paid by a Scots council after officials tried to shut it down. The order was made by judges at the Court of Session last week as they overturned the council decision to close McCormick's Bar in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. The judgment could have serious implications for the Executive's crackdown on 'sectarian' pubs. The pub was raided in September 2002 after the introduction of a by-law in North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire (Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath in Gaelic) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the north east of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. to stop the playing of sectarian music and the display of sectarian items. Police seized photographs, scarves scarves n. A plural of scarf1. scarves Noun a plural of scarf1 and CDs which they claim showed owner Thomas Smith's support for the IRA. Police told the licensing board pictures of IRA hunger strikers from the 80s and republicans from the 1916 Easter uprising were on show. Despite Mr Smith's claim that the items seized simply celebrated Irish history, North Lanarkshire Licensing Board declared him unfit unfit not properly prepared, e.g. physically incapable of performing hard work as in racing, because of lack of training. Said also of food prepared unhygienically. unfit for human consumption to run the pub and suspended his licence. But McCormick's stayed open as Mr Smith challenged the decision. A sheriff at Hamilton backed the licensing board but Court of Session judges last week ruled in favour of the publican publican [Lat.,=state employee], in ancient Rome, man who was employed by the state government under contract. As early as c.200 B.C. there was a class of men in Rome accustomed to undertaking contracts involving public works and tax collecting; the tax collectors . They said the suspension could not be justified as there was no evidence of public disorder linked to the pub. Mr Smith has been told his substantial legal costs will be met by North Lanarkshire Council, which funds the licensing board. Yesterday the pub owner said he had been advised by his lawyer not to comment on the case. But Hugh McLoughlin, a long-time customer at McCormick's and friend of the Smith family, said the police must take the blame for landing the council with an unnecessary legal bill. He said: 'There was not one iota of evidence to back their claim that Mr Smith showed, in their words, active support for the IRA.' Councillor Richard Lyle, leader of the opposition SNP SNP Scottish National Party Noun 1. SNP - (genetics) genetic variation in a DNA sequence that occurs when a single nucleotide in a genome is altered; SNPs are usually considered to be point mutations that have been evolutionarily group on the council, said: 'I condemn any form of sectarianism but I think we were wrong to pursue this so far and should have left it alone. 'Bar owners must ensure they don't offend the drinking public but if people are quite happy with the surroundings in a pub or club, we shouldn't interfere.' Council leader Jim McCabe said: 'There are times when the council must take legal action. 'I'm not a member of the licensing board but I shall be asking pertinent questions about this case CAPTION(S): Raided: Police seized items from McCormick's Bar in Bellshill |
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