North Lanarkshire council have been ordered to pay £100,000 for wrongly ordering a Bellshill pub to close for displaying "sectarian" pictures.
McCormick's was raided in September 2002 after the council introduced a bylaw forbidding the playing of sectarian music or the display of sectarian items. Police seized pictures of IRA hunger strikes, scarves and CDs which they claimed showed owner Thomas Smith's support for the IRA.
The licensing board ruled Smith unfit to hold a licence but the venue stayed open while an appeal was lodged. A Court of Session judge ruled in favour of Smith as there was no evidence of disorder connected to the pub. The council was ordered to pick up his legal bill of £100,000. "I condemn any form of sectarianism but I think we were wrong to pursue this," councillor Richard Lyle told the Sunday Mail. "Bar owners must ensure they don't offend the drinking public but if people are quite happy with the surroundings in a pub or club, we shouldn't interfere."
Smith has been advised not to comment on the case.