Bar reported by rival pub, fined for failing to remove drunk woman

A POPULAR bar has been fined for failing to remove a drunk woman — who had been reported by a rival bar — and even though she was only served two drinks by its staff

Bojangles has been fined for failing to remove a drunk woman even though she was only served two drinks by bar staff. FILE PICTURE

A POPULAR Alice Springs bar has been fined for failing to remove a drunk woman even though she was only served two drinks by bar staff.

The woman came into Bojangles Saloon at around 12pm but by 2.06pm she was slumped outside the bar on the footpath.

Extensive CCTV footage was examined during a Liquor Commission hearing which showed a woman in pink entering the bar with some men appearing to be sober and steady on her feet.

Footage showed the woman was only served two beers but she appeared to have had extra drinks during her visit, including a stolen beverage.

The woman, who is understood to have had an ankle injury, appeared to be stumbling and unsteady on her feet while also showing some affectionate and rowdy behaviour.

A male security guard helped the woman walk to the toilets, however she fell inside while pushing the door open.

The woman was eventually taken outside by another bar patron and she laid down on the footpath.

The incident was reported to a liquor inspector by the manager of a local bar who sent a photo of the woman slumped outside.

A Bojangles security guard who gave evidence as a witness at the hearing slammed the manager of the other bar and suggested the incident was reported out of malice against a particular local business competitor.

“The director of the other bar absolutely hated Bojangles . . . ever since Bojangles has been reopened their sales have gone down,” he said.

The same security guard was observed on CCTV calling an ambulance and checking up on the woman with another security guard taking off his jacket and putting it on the woman to keep her warm.

Paramedics arrived to check up on the woman, however a medical report suggested that she had no impairment of alertness.

The bar was found to have breached section 121 of the Liquor Act which states a licensee or employee must remove a person from the premises if they are drunk.

The maximum penalty for the breach is 100 penalty units which can total over $15,000, however, Bojangles was only fined $3850.