A Hull based bar has been prosecuted for carrying on licensable activities without a licence after failing to submit TEN and forging a premises licence.

Hull City Council I have successfully prosecuted a person employed as a bar manager who was tasked by his employer (the owner of the bar) with ’sorting out the licensing’ to enable the bar to start trading as soon as possible. The premises had previously been licenced but it had lapsed.

The manager prepared three TENs but only submitted one of them to the Licensing Authority leading to two periods when trading took place when there was no authorisation in force. The manager also used his home computer to forge a Premises Licence for the premises by using  pdf image of a lapsed licence for another premises and altering it to show it to be for the subject premises.

Both the un-submitted TENs and the forged Premises Licence were produced electronically to the owner, the Police and Licensing Officers as valid. The owner relied on them and traded the premises as if an authority was in place.