A pub company boss has hit out at the Government for saying cautions are sometimes acceptable for attacks on bar staff.
The Government was responding to a petition from National Pubwatch's Court Not Caution campaign. Signed by 814 people, it urged tougher action on thugs who attack hosts and staff.
The response said: "It is clear that assaults on staff working in licensed premises cannot be tolerated, and serious assaults should always result in an offender being prosecuted at court."
But it defended the right to issue cautions sometimes
as it allowed authorities to deal "swiftly" with low-level offenders.
It said getting a caution "does not mean that they are getting off without a penalty" — they go on criminal records and can be cited in future court cases.
Bar Group chief executive Paul Wigham labelled the response "scandalous".
Referring to requirements in the new mandatory alcohol code, he said: "Refuse to serve a glass of water and I am threatened with a £20,000 fine and six months in prison.
"Smack a DPS [designated premises supervisor] around and I won't see a courtroom, I get a caution and the victim gets a booklet on how to stop it happening when he is out of hospital again. The message is all wrong!"
Meanwhile, National Pubwatch has sent Justice Secretary Jack Straw — who's reviewing the use of cautions — a DVD featuring interviews with five licensees who were attacked at work.
Chairman Steve Baker is "particularly concerned" that some offences are being categorised as Common Assault, and the offender cautioned, before the extent of injuries are known.
"For example, one of the victims featured in our film suffered from epileptic fits, another had to have corrective surgery and a third suffered post-traumatic stress and had to leave the pub trade."
Pubwatch apologises after mistaken-identity ban
A pubwatch has apologised to a man who was incorrectly banned because he shared the same name as an alleged troublemaker.
Lee Davies, of Biddulph, Staffs, received a letter from the town's Pubwatch group banning him from 15 licensed premises after someone of the same name was accused of disorder over Christmas.
Davies has now had the ban overturned and received a written apology for the mistaken identity.
Anne Facey, pubwatch chairwoman and licensee at the town's Royal Oak, said the mistake occurred because the name was the only one on the electoral register.
She said: "With due respect to Mr Davies, these things can happen. He thinks we should look at the way our pubwatch is run, but we've been running it this way for seven years, and we've only had three incidents like this in that time."
The group has now added a line to the standard letter it sends to offenders, saying: "If you think this ban is unjust or may not be you, please contact us immediately".