Shutters fall on gun attack pub again in licence mix-up

THE Jock's Lodge pub, which was closed after a drug dealer was shot on the premises, has been shut down again - this time due to a clerical error.

• Ex-boss Alan Shand had hoped to reform the Jock's Lodge pub after it was closed down following the gun attack, reported in the Evening News on March 13, 2010

The city council's licensing board suspended the bar's licence after it found that a registered manager was not in place to run the business.

Owner Scottish & Newcastle said the oversight was due to an admin mistake, and hoped the pub would reopen with a new manager in the coming weeks.

A new meeting of the licensing board to hear the case has been scheduled for Monday.

The mix-up followed the departure of Alan Shand as licensee at the Piershill watering hole at the end of last year.

Mr Shand had been brought in to overhaul the pub following its closure last March in the wake of the shooting, reopening in June with a pledge to reclaim it for the community.

Drug dealer James Carlin, 24, was ambushed in the Jock's Lodge, which he had turned into his "gang hut" from which to direct a massive cocaine-dealing operation. Neighbours had described the pub as often resembling the "Wild West".

Carlin's gang also abused drugs on the premises. In October, Dean Scott, 27, was sentenced to 12 years for blasting Carlin in the leg with a 9mm handgun, then pistol-whipping him during the attack in the busy bar on March 7.

His co-accused, David Coutts, 21, was given 21 months after admitting stabbing Carlin and breaching bail.

Mr Shand had some pedigree as a "pub troubleshooter", having cleaned up the Half Way House in Leith in the 1990s before re-launching it as a community bar. The reason for his departure is not known.

A Scottish and Newcastle spokeswoman said: "The pub has been temporarily closed and the reason for this was an admin error. When the outgoing licensee left, there was an error in the registration of the new licensee.

"The former licensee was unable to get to the hearing on December 20 because of the snow. The new hearing has been set for January 24.

"We are hopeful that the pub will be able to reopen in due course. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience."

A council spokesman said: "The licensing board suspended the licence on December 20. An application to lift the suspension has been received and the board will consider the details at their next meeting."

Last October, Mr Shand told the Evening News he believed the bar had turned a corner.

Just a month later, Mr Shand blamed a single night's closure on staff illness, although he admitted it was taking a while for the business to get back on its feet. He could not be reached for comment on the latest closure.