West Midlands' 'most dangerous pub' to stay shut after appeal fails
A troubled pub which was named by a senior detective as the most dangerous in the West Midlands will stay shut after an attempt to have the decision overturned failed.
The Earl of Dudley Arms on Wellington Road has been closed since last Christmas after police said it had become a 'stronghold' for a gang.
The troubled pub was the scene of several violent attacks, including a stabbing.
Its licence was revoked by Dudley Council in February.
The pub's owners appealed the decision, but magistrates in Dudley have now ruled the Earl of Dudley should stay closed.
The bench said the decision to keep the pub closed was 'necessary to protect the public'. The ruling appears to have settled the pub's future for good.
Officers were called to the pub more than 60 times in the two years leading up to its closure to deal with a string of attacks, including an attempted murder.
Christopher Perkins, aged 23, was left fighting for his life in May 2014 when he was stabbed as violence flared outside.
The victim underwent emergency surgery and spent five days in hospital after being knifed.
It was one of a string of violent attacks, which included a customer being slashed across the face and left with a 12cm gash and another punter being beaten with a pool cue.
West Midlands Police ran out of patience and took action to shut the pub down last December.
At the licensing hearing in February, Detective Inspector Chris Hanson said he knew of no other pub which posed more of a risk to the public.
And Dudley councillor Ken Finch said the authorities had been left with no option but to keep the pub closed.
He said: "We've had some problems there and I feel it's the right decision. It has been done to protect the public. They had the opportunity to sort it out and it got worse.
"The council's licensing committee was left with no choice but to carry out the recommendations of the police."
