A Dundee pub found itself temporarily banned from selling alcohol after Police Scotland linked it to a serious stabbing despite “a complete lack of evidence”.
Officers have been accused of using “supposition and not fact” in a bid to force the Rock Bar in Menzieshill to close its doors.
Police Scotland first linked the pub to a “large-scale disturbance” in April 2014 in which a man was rushed to hospital with a knife injury.
The altercation took place in a public car park at the front of the premises.
The licensing board was told football supporters getting off a bus had attempted to intervene after witnessing an assault and that there was no evidence anyone involved had been drinking in the bar.
Football supporters were at the heart of another incident last January, when a large number were reportedly seen consuming alcohol on the premises at around 9am. They had apparently asked to use the toilets after their bus was delayed, and officers believed they were being allowed to consume drink concealed in plastic bags.
Police Scotland could present no evidence to support its claims, however, and admitted officers had neither seen anyone consuming alcohol nor had they searched any of the bags.
A spokesman said it had not been possible as there were “40 or 50 males” involved in the incident and “just two officers” present.
To the surprise of board members, including Strathmartine Councillor Kevin Keenan, the fans were then able to board their bus still in possession of their suspicious cargo, with no evidence that the bus had thereafter been stopped and searched.
Further criticism came after the police said they had visited the premises on 68 occasions over the past 12 months.
Only after questioning from councillors did it emerge that the volume of visits was “normal” for a Dundee pub and that no problems had been discovered.
Solicitor Janet Hood asked the licensing board to dismiss the police-inspired review of her client’s licence due to “the complete lack of evidence” presented.
“What the police have told you is not fact,” she said. “It is merely supposition.”
Councillors made no comment upon the knife incident, but did express concern about the managerial failings that led to people being within the bar outside operating hours.
The bar’s owners were served with a one-week suspension of their licence and ordered to install a CCTV system to ensure any future incidents are not left to conjecture.