NIGHT CLUB RAID

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 September 1924, Page 8

NIGHT CLUB RAID

DRAMATIC SCENES. Dramatic scenes attended a police'' raid on a night club in Air Street, Regent Street, London, recently, lhe story was told to the Marlborough Street magistrate, when U.L., Ltd., and Hugh Campbell Dawes and Francis Harslett were summoned for selling intoxicating liquors without a license and supplying drink after permitted hours on various nights, at the Quadrant Club. There was also a summons to show cause why the club should not be struck off the register. Nine men were summoned for consuming liquor. Mr Muskett, prosecuting, intimated that the company and Dawes and Harslett, so far as they were jointly concerned, would plead guilty to two summonses for selling and four for supplying. The other summonses on those counts against them were withdrawn. Proceeding, Mr Muskett stated that the difficulties in dealing with these clubs were becoming insuperable, be-

cause of the want of power of supervision which the law allowed. This establishment was absolutely impregnable' to frontal attack, if he might use a military expression. There were three bolted 'Boors leading into the premises. In an offi e there was a push-button manipulatedjby the foot, which by pressure sounded a buzzer at the far end of the bar in the basement. At the same time, there was another buzzer in the lounge. Thqre was_no doubt that it was an alarm buzzer. The third door, which was bolted from the inside, had a wicket in the door for scrutiny of persons desiring to enter. Having got through these formidable obstacles one was then in the club. On the night of May 20, at 11 p.m., continued counsel, at the risk of their

lives, the premises were watched by the police from the roofs and tiles. They were able, by looking through a fan which ventilated the dance floor, to spe what was going on. They saw champagne being served. They moved to another part of the tiles, and they were able to see through another ventilator “into the lounge adjoining the dance room By means of a piece of wire they pushed aside the folds of curtains, and were able to see drinks served in the lounge. At 1.30 a.m., said Mr Muskett, there was a scare. Electric torches were shone from inside the premises by occupants, the officers escaping detection by hiding in the gutters on the top. The officers continued their observations in. this way during the early hours on following nights. On some nights police obtained admission. A constable went with .two other persons to the hairdresser’s shop, received three small white tickets from the

man behind the counter, for which he paid its, went through the office, through the dance room to the basement, and to the bar, which was really a cellar, known to the habitues as “the pub,” because it was fitted up as an old English public house with sawdust on the floor. The officer, said counsel, went to this room and another room, where there were a large number of persons, at 12.30 a.m., and he was served without hindrance, all kinds of intoxicants being served till about 3.30 a.m. On the night, of the raid, the officer went to the hairdresser’s shop and was again admitted to the club, and in the basement were about 50 persons. A numbei* of detectives were on the roofs, while Superintendent Martin and other officers were at the front door. The police were above the ladies’ cloakroom, situated over the dance "room. They had a crowbar to

prise up one of the windows. Accidentally the glass was broken, and they fell through the broken window •to the floor. The Magistrate: Was there much damage to the police Mr Muskett.- Practically none, sir. .There was an attendant in the cloakroom, continued Mr Muskett, and she ran out, shrieking down the stairs, “Raid! Police! Drinks!” Constable Wilkins went to the lounge where all present were drinking. As soon as Sergeant Goddard got into that room the buzzer from the office inside the front door was sounded, and there was confusion. Glasses were broken, a table was overturned, and waiters commenced to throw drinks from the glasses on the floor of the room. At the sound of the alarm numbers of people rushed out. Superintendent Martin found the door opened by persons inside. At the end of the lounge

th.ere was a hole in the floor, through which they were pouring away drink. Behind-the bar in the basement there had been cut a hole in the wall. Drink was served through this hole from the bar in the basement to the lounge

above. There was also a sink there, and into this the drinks were being poured. Counsel for defendants urged that there were no disreputable persons on the premises, every effort being made to keep out unknown persons. The club was struck off the register. The question of disqualification was adjourned. Eight of the consumers were each fined £4, with £1 costs. The company was fined an aggregate of £220, with £22 costs, and Dawes and Harslett were each fined £l4O, with £22 costs.