THUGS who terrified staff and punters at a Solihull bar have been banned from pubs in the town centre – just as they start to reopen amid a relaxation of lockdown measures.
Five men who pleaded guilty to a violent disorder at the Walkabout bar in 2018 have become the first people to be banned from drinking in Solihull town centre.
On December 1 2018, Dylan Williams, 25, Drew Taylor, 23, James Johnson, 21, Kyle Witts, 20 and Ryan Grealish, 20, became abusive to other people on the dancefloor, which attracted the attention of security staff.
When the group were told to leave, they became abusive and violent.
Once they were outside, security attempted to secure the doors to the bar to prevent them from getting back in, but the violence continued.
CCTV captured the group repeatedly running and kicking at the door, distressing all those inside the bar.
After they left the area, they were identified by police from CCTV footage and were questioned, arrested and charged.
At an earlier hearing the group pleaded guilty and, on June 5, Ryan Grealish, of Vauxhall Crescent, Drew Taylor, of Chester Road, and Kyle Witts, of Barlands Croft, Shard End, were sentenced to 18 months custodial sentences suspended for two years. There was also a requirement to complete unpaid community work.
On July 3, James Johnson, of Pheasant Croft, and Dylan Williams, of Vauxhall Crescent, Smith’s Wood, were sentenced to 24 and 21 months respectively, both suspended for two years. Both are also subject to overnight curfews for the next two months.
All five also received a drinking exclusion order banning them from bars and clubs in Solihull town centre for 18 months. Local police will be working with these establishments to ensure these people are not allowed to drink in the town centre.
Insp Dave Amos from Solihull Police said: “The drinking exclusion ban is a first for Solihull town centre and shows that behaviour committed by the group that night will not be tolerated.
“If any of these men are seen in the town centre at any of the bars or pubs listed, they will have breached the drinking exclusion order and could end up serving the remainder of their sentence time in custody.
“This was a lengthy and thorough investigation that shows our commitment to keeping Solihull safe.”
A spokesperson for Walkabout said: “Customer and staff safety is a key priority within our venue and we work in partnership with the police and Solihull town centre to ensure anybody who breaks the law and causes disruption is brought to justice.”
