POLICE were asked to target an island restaurant after the licensing board were hoodwinked by a hoaxer who claimed it was a front for an illegal drinking den.
Despite the bogus letter having no proper address and claiming the Chinese restaurant was serving drunks till 4am on Sundays, in an area well-covered by police and CCTV, Western Isles Licensing Board still considered the claims at a meeting to decide if it should get a Sunday licence.
Now, with Egg Foo Yung on their faces, the councillors on the board which include several elders of a staunchly-Sabbatarian church, claim they only treated it as “an unsubstantiated allegation”.
Three weeks ago, the board lost a legal appeal when Stornoway Golf Club appealed against its refusal to get a Sunday licence for its clubhouse. Island taxpayers will have to pay the club’s legal costs which will be up to £10,000.
So all eyes were on the board last week to see what it would do with a similar bid from the Golden Ocean Chinese Restaurant in Stornoway town centre.
However, despite the claims over the years by some members in the hardline Free Church of Scotland that they are councillors only to do God’s work, they granted the Sunday licence to the town centre restaurant.
There was an objection from an extremist breakaway church, the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing). It was discounted after it after the health statistics it relied on were found to be from 2004.
However, another supposed objection, supposedly from a John Macdonald of nearby Francis Street but with no house number given, was actually presented to the meeting.
It claimed, without any evidence, that the Golden Ocean was serving drunks late, sometimes until 4am, because of “utter greed”. Local police patrols are often posted outside the restaurant in an area well-covered by CCTV.
Yet the board promptly ordered Northern Constabulary to target the restaurant over baseless claims it was an illegal drinking den before granting the Sunday licence.
Although the “objection” was received in October, no-one at the licensing board thought it odd that it was addressed to Stornoway Council – Stornoway Town Council was abolished in 1975 – and there was no checkable address. Only an email address, which can be set up by anyone in about one minute, was given.
The members present granted the application, but, according to news reports, also directed the police to monitor the restaurant.
Stornoway’s campaigners for public and private facilities to be allowed to open in the Western Isles if the public want to use them, say they are shocked by the incompetence of the licensing board.
Uisdean Macleod, who also successfully campaigned for the start of Sunday ferries a year and a half ago, said: “For many months the licensing board sat on an undated and untraceable letter which contained ludicrous and quite possibly racist allegations about a well-run town centre restaurant.
“I don’t think they would have taken such obviously-bogus attacks on a locally-owned business to the meeting.”
Some think certain councillors were keen to find any allegation, however ridiculous, to use against the restaurant. They claim the councillors didn’t want to check if it was a hoax because it may have suited them to rubbish Guo Xing Yao, the restaurant owner.
Fellow campaigner Amanda Darling said: “The Sabbatarians have had their own way for so long they think they are untouchable. The sad truth is they are showing themselves up to be completely incompetent. The recent court case showed they think they’re above the laws that apply to the rest of us.”
The licensing board now does not deny it was hoodwinked. A spokesman said: “Unfortunately, public bodies sometimes have to deal with unusual correspondence. The board treated it as an unsubstantiated allegation as they had no evidence before them to substantiate it.
“The board clearly didn’t attach substance to it as they granted the application. The police representative at the board meeting has made clear that the police monitor premises in the area as part of their normal duties.”
“The board clearly didn’t attach substance to it as they granted the application. The police representative at the board meeting has made clear that the police monitor premises in the area as part of their normal duties.”
It has emerged that the bogus objector recently replied to an email from a local journalist. That means the authorities may be able to trace which computer it was sent from if a complaint to police is made.
Campaigners against religious bias in islands’ decision-making yesterday (MON) suggested they were likely to make a complaint to police about their fears of a conspiracy to ruin the reputation of a Stornoway business by making unfounded claims which were then accepted. completely unchecked, by some councillors.
