From the http://www.kentonline.co.uk, 09 September 2014, by Thom Morris.

Review of Dartford pub The Clipper after fights, glassing and beatings.

Police have asked for a review into the way a pub is being run after 12 punch-ups in five months.

According to police, people have been punched, kicked, head butted and glassed at The Clipper pub in Dartford.

In one incident, a fight involved 30 people doing battle with bottles, belts and chains as weapons.

The High Street pub, formerly the "Tollgate," will go before a licensing committee at Dartford council on Monday, September 22.

The report before councillors states: “The Clipper has been either the location for or a contributing factor in 12 incidents within the last five months.

"These incidents have created 16 police crime reports for investigation.”

These were four reports of grievous bodily harm, seven actual bodily harm, two assaults on police officers, one affray, one assault and one criminal damage.

The application, by PC Christopher Hill states: “Kent Police Licensing and Dartford council have been working closely with The Clipper management and door team over these last five months in an attempt to resolve the ongoing issues.

“Keith Frenchum from Dartford council reports that he has had cause to attend The Clipper on 12 occasions between January 10 and July 16 and issued three formal letters.

“Kent Police Licensing have held meetings with the Designated Premises Supervisor David Smith and the door team employed, Team Nok, on five occasions.”

The last meeting was in July with licence holder Mehdi Afshar, David Smith and Team Nok, although the new Designated Premises Supervisor is Anthony Love.

“It is now felt by Kent Police Licensing that staff at The Clipper are unable to sufficiently manage the premises in a safe manner without incidents of crime and disorder occurring.”

Discussions were mainly around an assault on June 22 where a Russian man had been going around the pub offering people high fives.

He approached a group in the garden to offer them a high five and the victim was punched in the face.

Door staff intervened and escorted the offender away but it transpired this was the wrong man.

Meanwhile, the victim was being punched and kicked inside the pub by the actual offenders.

He was kicked in the head causing “deep cuts”. One of the victim’s friends was also punched. The offenders were never found.

At the meeting it was agreed that door staff would be increased from three to four but two further incidents occurred after the meeting.

On July 12 there was a fight involving about 30 people outside the pub. A man had been kicked out after he was seen being sick.

He then got involved with a group of people in the street and then others ran out of The Clipper and got involved.

Bottles, belts and chains were used as weapons. Door staff attempted to intervene but the fight was too big.

One man was found to have suffered injuries from being glassed.

Then on July 16, a man made a comment about another customer in the pub being ‘weird’.

The other man punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. It turned out the offender had been banned from the pub for threatening behaviour but staff at the venue were too scared to refuse him service.

Staff were also “reluctant to name the offender to police”.

In one incident, a fight involved 30 people doing battle with bottles, belts and chains as weapons

The report concludes: “The premises licence holder made it abundantly clear during the meeting that he would not make any changes voluntarily to his premises licence in order to curb the violent trend that was occurring at the premises.

“It is now felt by Kent Police Licensing that staff at The Clipper are unable to sufficiently manage the premises in a safe manner without incidents of crime and disorder occurring.”

Police are asking Dartford council for a number of changes, including reducing the opening times to midnight on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays rather than 2am; improved CCTV that is kept for 31 days; to suspend the licence for a month; and ensure there are four door supervisors.

The Licensing Sub-Committee meeting takes place on Monday, September 22 at 7pm.

What was reported?

Saturday, February 8: Female victim punched twice to face after rejecting advances of male inside the pub.

Sunday, February 9: Disturbance on the dance floor between two groups of men. An hour later two victims approached and punched repeatedly to the head. One man suffered fracture eye socket which required metal plate.

Monday, February 17: Two females began to fight. Police arrested both involved but were pinched and head butted.

Sunday, March 2: Man alleged he was assaulted by door staff. CCTV shows door staff taking man down an alleyway but view was out of sight for CCTV. No charges against anyone involved.

Sunday, March 2: Partners argued and it escalated when a man punched a woman in the chest. He was ejected and later charged with assault.

Saturday, March 8: Man was sick inside pub. Abusive to door staff and grabbed one of them. The offender was cautioned. On viewing CCTV, door staff were seen grabbing the man by the throat and punching him.
Saturday, March 8: Man punched in the face “for no apparent reason”.
Saturday, March 22: Two men kicked out after altercation. They returned later and kicked doors and smashed a window. Charged with criminal damage.
Saturday, April 19: Bar staff became involved in argument with customers. Drink was thrown over member of staff who then threw glass at the group. One customer received “large cut that required stitches”. Member of staff charged with assault.
Sunday, June 22: Russian man offering high fives. Punched and kicked. Offenders never identified or found.
Saturday, July 12: Large fight between 30 people outside the pub.
Wednesday, July 16: Man punched in the face and knocked unconscious.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alan Smith, 15 October 2019.

Man wanted in connection with car attack outside The Clipper.

Police would like to interview this man in relation to a report of a car being driven at a group of pedestrians.

The incident happened outside The Clipper pub in Dartford High Street on Friday, October 11.

Wanted: Bradley Knapp.

Police have released an image of Bradley Knapp to help with the search.

If you know where Knapp is, please call 101, quoting reference 46/196436/19.

Alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or complete the online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk Sean McPolin, 8 November 2022.

Manager of The Clipper pub in Dartford High Street accused of stealing £93,000 from employers.

A pub manager has been accused of stealing more than £93,000 in cash from his employers over two years.

Liam Sanders, of Port Rise, Chatham, allegedly siphoned off the huge sum while he was general manager at The Clipper in High Street, Dartford, between 2017 and 2018.

Pub manager Liam Sanders, from Chatham, is accused of stealing £93,000 from The Clipper pub in Dartford. Picture: Facebook.

The 32-year-old denies the accusations and is on trial at the Nightingale Court at Mercure Great Danes Hotel in Maidstone.

It comes after Sanders, who was employed at the pub since August 2016, admitted stealing £9,700 from the establishment, which is run by the MFA Group.

Sanders was confronted by directors at a meeting in February 2019 when it was discovered only six out of seven days' takings were being cashed at the bank.

He originally denied the accusations, claiming the bank must have been at fault, but later that day confessed he had taken a day's takings for the first four weeks of the year.

He paid back the full amount - £7,000 in cash the following day and the rest by bank transfer - within two weeks and was immediately sacked.

Following this, a police investigation was launched and more than 40 discrepancies or similar incidents of thousands of pounds of cash not being cashed at the bank were discovered.

Sanders was arrested and charged with fraud.

During the first day of the jury trial, prosecutor Mark Hunsley said more than £93,000 had been stolen from the pub.

He said Sanders was responsible for paying the cash into the bank and the "same pattern" of a day's takings not being taken to the bank had happened for nearly two years.

Mr Hunsley said: "More than £93,000 wasn't paid into the bank account. This follows the same pattern of the week Mr Sanders had responsibility for it.

"Police checked staff rotas and there was no other chance for someone to do this."

The prosecutor said analysis of Mr Sanders' bank accounts found "significant" cash purchases to some holiday companies.

MFA Group's chief executive, Mehdi Afshar, told the court Sanders was in charge of many things at the pub, including stock checks, banking, licensing and recruitment.

He was questioned by defence solicitor John Lyons, who asked whether there was a written procedure for banking cash.

Mr Afshar admitted there just a few lines in the staff handbook but pointed out that staff, including Sanders, would have received emails from the company about such policy and were given a one-to-one induction before they started their first shift.

Mr Afshar, whose MFA Group runs restaurants, bowling alleys and pubs, said upon hearing some takings had gone missing, said he had challenged Sanders over the missing cash.

After originally denying it, Sanders returned from lunch and admitted taking the money to "help his mother", he said.

Mr Lyons questioned Mr Afshar as to how, over two years, more than 40 banking slips which should have been checked were not scrutinised.

He replied that the person in charge of that had been sacked for failing to notice the missing money.

The trial continues.