Landlady loses lease over illegal football screening.

Byline: JAMES CAIN Local democracy reporter [email protected] @JIMMYMCAIN

A LANDLADY who illegally screened football matches at a troubled Middlesbrough pub has been stripped of her lease.

Catherine Beadnall, 61, had been in charge of the Park End pub for over 15 years.

But her tenure at the pub came to an abrupt end following a meeting of Middlesbrough Council's licensing sub committee yesterday.

An application had been made to remove her from the premises and ban her family members from taking over after, earlier this year, she was convicted of four counts of illegally screening football matches without a subscription.

Investigators had discovered Premier League and Championship matches were regularly being screened illegally for customers in December 2017 and February 2018.

By law, publicans must have a commercial subscription with the rights holder - in this case Sky - to allow them to show games.

At Middlesbrough town hall, Charles Holland, representing the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), set out Ms Beadnall's chequered history as boss of the Penistone Road pub.

He said she had been fined PS3,266 in 2007 for failing to have properly working CCTV as per her licence and had been convicted of four earlier copyright offences for unlawfully screening football matches in 2009.

In 2011, she was convicted of mortgage fraud.

Mr Holland said Ms Beadnall's failure to notify the licensing authority of her mortgage fraud conviction ultimately resulted in her surrendering her personal licence in December 2012.

Since then, with the licence held by the pub's former owners, Punch Taverns Plc, Ms Beadnall leased the pub and continued to be the manager.

On February 1, 2013, Mr Holland said there had been a "firearms incident" in which the pub was "shot at with a shotgun".

He added that, along with several illegal screenings of football matches, the ensuing years had also seen numerous cases of CCTV not being in working order, a post-Halloween party brawl and a stabbing at the pub.

Andrew Cochrane, acting on behalf of Stars Pubs and Bars, a subsidiary of Heineken UK, made it clear he was not representing Ms Beadnall.

He also stressed that the Heineken UK company had only owned The Park End since May this year, but he said the company wanted to give Ms Beadnall "a fair chance".

He quizzed Stephen Gerrard, representing for FACT, about why the case had been brought to a licensing review.

He said: "Is it standard policy to apply for a council review?" Mr Gerrard replied: "No, this is the first."

Mr Cochrane asked if it was the case that Mr Gerrard had been "aggrieved" by the fact Ms Beadnall's prosecution earlier in the year had only resulted in her paying PS530 in fines and charges.

A legal Sky subscription would have cost Ms Beadnall PS820 a month.

"I was disappointed yes," said Mr Gerrard, adding: "I don't consider it to be a deterrent."

Mr Cochrane said his company was committed to doing everything it could to train Ms Beadnall and her staff to ensure there would be no further breaches.

When Ms Beadnall was given the chance to speak, she clarified that a number of previously mentioned incidents had not resulted in further action from police.

She added that the victim of the stabbing incident had in fact been her own son who was in the process of removing another man from the pub.

Committee chair Cllr Jeanette Walker said: "Is your son all right?" "Yes thank you," said Ms Beadnall, adding: "Thankfully it was only minor."

Two independent councillors for Park End and Beckfield, Cllr Brian Hubbard and Cllr Mick Saunders spoke in support of Ms Beadnall.

But after considering the evidence, the committee decided it was right to ban Ms Beadnall and all her family members from taking part in management or being employed at the Park End Pub.

The pub licensc itself was suspended for three months and conditions attached.

This suspension is to give the licence holders time to recruit and train a new management team.

CAPTION(S):

Catherine Beadnall was landlady of the Park end pub for more than 15 years

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Publication:	Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England)
Geographic Code:	4EUUK
Date:	Sep 29, 2018
Words:	687
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