Hotel Steyne owner furious over action, saying it will cost his business more than $100,000

WITH Manly’s Steyne Hotel set to close for seven days over the sale of alcohol to minors, the pub’s regular drinkers say they’re the ones being punished.

Hotel Steyne at Manly has been caught selling alcohol to minors. Picture: Troy snook

THE POPULAR Hotel Steyne at Manly will be forced to shut down for a week after it sold alcohol to underage girls for more than four hours.

Liquor and Gaming NSW has suspended the pub’s liquor licence for seven days from July 4 after the four girls were caught drinking there by police patrolling the venue about 11.30pm on September 12, 2015.

The hotel, co-owned by Arthur Laundy, is the biggest scalp claimed under the government’s Minor Sanctions Scheme introduced in December 2014.

Tessa Gosselin and Angela Kudryashova say it was fair for the pub to close if it didn't pay the fine. Picture: Adam Taylor

In February, the hotel’s then licensee Stephen O’Sullivan was found guilty in Manly Local Court of seven offences relating to the girls being served alcohol.

He was given a good behaviour bond and no conviction was recorded.

But under the new scheme, Liquor and Gaming also issued two female bar staff who were working on the night with $1100 fines.

The closure order was triggered when one of the women did not pay the fine.

Nine other venues and liquor stores have also been punished under the scheme.

George Froggett and Roman Pearce are not happy with having to drink somewhere else when the pub will have to close down next week. Picture: Adam Taylor

Regular Hotel Steyne drinker George Froggett said the ruling was absurd.

“Don’t forget old soldiers like us, we’ll die of thirst,” Mr Froggett said

“Some kids sneak in here and do the wrong thing and we’re the ones who get punished.

“There hasn’t been a serious issue here for the last four years.”

Patron Tessa Gosselin, who lived nearby, said the suspension did not seem fair.

“But if they didn’t pay the fine in time, then that’s what happens,” Ms Gosselin said.

A spokesman for Liquor and Gaming said the suspension was separate from the “three strikes” disciplinary scheme.

“As the licensee was not convicted of any of the charges before the court, a “strike” has not been recorded against the venue,” the spokesman said.

Hotel Steyne co-owner Arthur Laundy is furious at the decision to have his pub shut down for seven days.

Mr Laundy said the closure would cost more than $100,000 in lost revenue.

Mr Laundy said the closure would cost him more than $100,000 in lost revenue and his casual staff would be out of work for a week.

“I’m flabbergasted by this,” he said.

“I think the whole system has gone haywire. There is a vendetta there somewhere.

“These girls who got into the venue beat the system, and I put my hand up ... but this is just ridiculous.”

He said in 54 years as a publican he had never received a fine for underage service or had a pub shut down.