Publican banned for breaching liquor laws
Liquor and Gaming NSW has suspended the publican at the Royal Hotel at Temora for three months after finding he flouted liquor laws.
The offence in question was selling take-away alcohol during a 28-day forced closure order for selling alcohol to minors.
Police had caught hotel owner Vojislav Krstic, and his son, Goran, selling three take-away longneck bottles of beer at the hotel on June 14 last year. That was midway through the 28-day trading suspension
As a result, Liquor and Gaming lodged disciplinary action against the pair.
It alleged Vojislav Krstic was not a fit and proper person to hold a liquor licence and that his son was not a fit and proper person to be a close associate of a licensee.
The three month suspension means the pair can’t hold a liquor licence or serve as the approved manager of any licensed venue in the state.
“The Royal Hotel has a long history of poor practice and serial breaches,” the Liquor and Gaming statement said.
“During their tenure at the venue, Mr Vojislav Krstic and his son have breached the Liquor Act 30 times for offences including permitting violent and quarrelsome behaviour, multiple liquor sales to minors and sales during restricted trading days.”
It said when they were nabbed on June 14, the pair had deliberately tried to flout the law with the customer “required to exit through the back of the venue, presumably to avoid detection”.
It said the two had not taken action to rectify the glaring management issues.
Apart from the suspension, the Royal Hotel has also been ordered to pay Liquor and Gaming $7332 for its investigation costs.
The case is significant because according to Liquor and Gaming NSW, the Royal Hotel is the first pub in NSW to have its trading suspended under the state government’s tough new Minor Sanctions Scheme. The scheme imposes penalties on venues caught serving alcohol to minors.
by Leon Gettler, July 5th 2016
