From the https://www.kentlive.news By Mary Harris, 11 July, 2024.

Kent village pub to be quizzed over claims police say residents are afraid for their safety.

The licence review is being held today (July 11).

A country pub in a village in Kent is having its licence reviewed because police said residents are worried about their safety. The review is being held by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council today (July 11).

Kent Police called for the review of The Knoxbridge in a hamlet of the same name in Frittenden, which is three miles from Cranbrook. The committee will have several ways to deal with the matter including taking no action, or taking away or modifying the premises licence.

The police application said residents had complained about entertainment carrying on out of hours, which was often loud. Locals had also been alarmed by "disorder", two people were assaulted at the pub, and residents feared for their safety in their homes, said police.

Kent Police also said CCTV viewed by officers "clearly shows" the pub was operating "outside of what is permitted". The application said: "When dealing with the manager, particularly when addressing complaints or making requests for CCTV, his manner is hostile, argumentative and uncooperative".

But manager Sean Kennedy told KentLive ahead of the review, much of the trouble was not connected to the pub and his full comments are below. Kent Police said there was an incident at the pub on the A229 on March 31 which "caused considerable concern and upset for the residents which clearly connected to the premises when an event/party had been taking place".

"Multiple residents made contact with Kent Police in relation to the events on this evening, as they were concerned not only for their safety but also for the safety of people at the location for this event," said police. The force said the review was necessary due to the "ongoing behaviour of the manager" and "the concerns of the community in relation to the nuisance that is being caused and the concerns for the safety of people attending the area for any reason".

The report also said CCTV footage from January 31 this year showed entertainment at the pub after 11pm and also children being there. Although the pub told police it was a private function, alcohol was being sold, meaning it had to comply with the licensed hours, said police.

And after being alerted, police asked for CCTV for March 23 and saw children in the pub after 10pm and karaoke continuing until midnight. On March 30, between 00.27am and 1.03am, calls were also made to Kent Police about "disorder" coming from a "party" at the pub.

"One caller stated that they had been at the party and they, along with their partner, had been assaulted. Other calls from local residents reporting disturbance and nuisance at the location, including a motorbike riding back and forth in front of the premises before stopping and engaging with customers in the front garden area," said police.

The motorbike was being "revved" and the speed and way it was being ridden was causing "considerable nuisance", said police. Police attended and "Mr Kennedy was at the location, he appeared intoxicated and was obstructive in speaking to officers when a request was made to view CCTV at the time", said police.

The application also states when police asked for CCTV footage of this time, the wrong footage was sent and then the pub said it was no longer available. The pub also "refused" to provide footage from an incident in April which had also prompted a complaint, said police.

"Multiple local residents" have contacted police and the council with their concern and have highlighted "the impact that the events at the premises have on their feeling of safety within their properties", said police. Complainants sent in video and audio recordings of noise from the fight on March 30, which included "children screaming and people shouting", the activity of the motorbike and "showing its connection to the premises", said police.

The residents did not want to be identified as they "fear that they, or their families and property, may be targeted for their involvement", said police. Again on April 24, the police were alerted that entertainment was going on past 11pm, and there were young children there, said police.

Officers' request for CCTV was immediately refused by manager Sean Kennedy, the force said. Mr Kennedy contacted police on the same day and said a neighbour had put up CCTV which he believed was filming his pub and customers, it added, and this is still being dealt with.

Kent Police said there was "clear evidence" the pub was failing to comply with six conditions attached to its premises licence. The force called for the committee to consider taking away the premises licence as there is "clear disregard for the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003.

It also said there was a "lack of respect for any authority such as police or licensing authority and requests for CCTV have been outright refused and all advice regarding the adherence to hours for entertainment and compliance with conditions has been repeatedly ignored".

Manager disputes what police say.

But Mr Kennedy told KentLive that it was not true he had been "under the influence" when police came, as stated in the application, as he had an "alcohol tag" on his ankle, from March 3 to June 3. "So, no, I was not drunk. I was just tired," he said.

"Ninety-nine per cent of what they said did not actually concern the pub. They put something in a report about horses getting out of a field. That has nothing to do with the pub."

He said: "There has been one fight in this pub in 15 months and that was not inside the pub, it was someone playing silly idiots." He said the pub had a "really bad reputation" before he and his girlfriend took over.

"We have got rid of all the people who cause trouble in the pub. We don't care where they have gone."

He also said the pair had spent several thousand pounds of their own money to decorate and "make the pub look nice". And he strongly denied the claim by police he had not helped with sending CCTV footage, and had sent clips from the wrong time.

"The clocks had changed. That is why there was an hour's difference. And the reason it took us longer to send CCTV is they wanted three hours from 10 cameras.

"I didn't have a memory stick which would take enough, so I had to order one. I emailed the police straight away," said Mr Kennedy.

"And, I didn't know how to download that much. I had to pay the CCTV company £150 for someone to come in and download it for me - it took about six hours," said Mr Kennedy.

Asked if he would explain all this at the review, he said: "If we get the chance. We're hoping to put our point across."

The police application also stated that on January 24, Mr Kennedy said in an email to police that he "felt he was being harassed" by a request for CCTV from an officer who had received information of entertainment being provided out of allowed hours. The meeting is at 11am today (July 11) and anyone can watch it via webcast here.