Cocktail bar can reopen after teen threatened with machete during 16th birthday party

Five teenagers were arrested last month following a ‘violent’ incident involving a machete at Oryan Cocktail Bar in Three Shire Oak Road, Bearwood.

The cocktail bar was forced to close following an ‘urgent’ hearing earlier this month with West Midlands Police requesting the review over its concerns the venue was associated with 'serious' crime and disorder.

Sandwell Council’s licensing subcommittee agreed to remove the restrictions preventing the cocktail bar from opening – with a new ban on under 18 events.

Oryan owner Ryan Ottley told the hearing on Tuesday, July 30, that he thought the birthday party was a 'bad idea from the beginning'. Mr Ottley said he had 'learned his lesson' and 'just wanted to move forward.'

“It’s my business, I take it very seriously,” he told the hearing at Sandwell Council House in Oldbury. “I’m not going to do anything to put my business in jeopardy.

“All of this now that I’m in, it’s not worth it. I don’t want any badness to come to my bar.”

Robert Edge, representing Mr Ottley, said: “The police were never seeking revocation but obviously with an incident of such magnitude it gave them serious concerns, quite rightly.

“This is a very robust operating schedule and I think this has been a trauma that he wouldn’t want to go through again and has been a real learning curve, in lots of ways."

At the hearing, Nicola Stansbie from West Midlands Police said the force had 'serious concerns' after the shocking incident at the 16th birthday party which spawned a large police presence – including armed officers and dogs.

Chris Jones, also from West Midlands Police, told the hearing there was a ‘lack of management’ around responsibilities and ‘poor’ searching from door staff with only male attendees searched.

CCTV images showing the disorder had been shown to councillors in private.

West Midlands Police said five teens – two girls and three boys all aged 16 and 17 – were arrested for violent disorder. Two of the boys were also detained on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon. All five have now been bailed while enquiries continue, the force said.

Officers responded to reports of a “teenager being robbed at gunpoint” just after 11.50pm on June 28. Police said nobody was found with serious injuries but a machete was recovered following a search of the area which led to the arrests.

Earlier this month, West Midlands Police said it had 'serious concerns over the promotion of the licensing objectives at the venue' and Oryan’s licence needed to be reviewed by the council as a “matter of urgency.”

A ‘fast-track’ review following the violent incident last month led to the cocktail bar having its opening hours cut to 9pm. The owner Ryan Ottley was also told the venue could only operate as a restaurant as an ‘interim’ measure by the council’s licensing subcommittee. Those restrictions have been removed following the committee’s decision on Tuesday, July 30.