Licensee wins closed period court case
A Rochdale licensee has won an appeal against his prosecution for showing Premiership football during the Saturday afternoon closed period.
Supporters of Brian Gannon of the Fisherman's Inn, claim the ruling is a landmark victory in the saga of closed period screenings.
However, the MD of the body which investigates illegal screenings, Media Protection Services, said the case has no bearing on future prosecutions.
Ray Hoskin told morningadvertiser.co.uk: "We accept the court's decision but this sets no legal precedent. If the Crown Prosecution Service prosecutes 10,000 drivers a month and loses six appeals it doesn't stop prosecuting other drivers. I would be very stupid to take any more notice of this case than what it is in law - the finding against a decision of magistrates in one isolated case."Until now licensees who have been taken to court have just been accepting their punishmentSpokesman for group which backed licensee
However a man claiming to be a spokesman for the group which backed Gannon and contributed towards his legal costs said: "We decided to back him because until now licensees who have been taken to court have just been accepting their punishment. The judge in this case said he had not been acting ilegally."
Your Comments David Pott via email 24/03/2006"Could you clarify exactly what the Crown Court over ruled the magistrates on?
Other recent appeals appear to have been on technicalities rather in Law."
Brian Gannon via email 27/03/2006From what I heard the judge say, the case fell down on more than just a technicality, I think the judge found that he was not satisfied that I had acted dishonestly, along with quite a few other points in my favour.
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