Portsmouth nightclub Tokyo Joe's could have licence revoked by city council as review called in

Police incident outside Tokyo Joe's in Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth, on Saturday night. Four men were stabbed or slashed and were hospitalised. A man has been charged.

THE nightclub where four men were stabbed last weekend could have its licence revoked by the city council after a review was called by police.

A notice has been placed on the door of Tokyo Joe's in Guildhall Walk setting a deadline of November 21 for any representations to be made before a hearing by a licensing sub-committee makes a decision.

'The applicant for the summary review is the chief officer of police and the grounds for the review are that, in the opinion of a senior police officer, the premises are associated with serious crime or serious disorder or both,' it says.

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Tokyo Joe's in Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth, on Saturday night.

It had originally been agreed to temporarily suspend the licence ahead of a full hearing into the review in the coming weeks but an agreement was reached yesterday with conditions in place allowing the nightclub to remain open until then.

'The review is being sought under the grounds of serious crimes for the offences of GBH with intent,' the police review application said.

'On Saturday, November 5, around 9.30pm, a male customer was present on the licensed premises in possession of a bladed article. He was accompanied by a 15-year-old girl who was also present on the premises, he was also found to be in possession of suspected Class A drugs.’

A council licensing sub-committee will be required to meet to discuss the request within 28 days of its submission and would have the option of revoking its licence, applying new conditions or making no changes.

Alistair Ritchie, the nightclub's owner, said he was 'continuing to work with all responsible authorities' in light of the review.

In a statement, the nightclub's management added: ‘We will be working closely with the police to establish the full circumstances around the incident. We have safety measures in place over and above the requirements of our licence and are shocked [by what happened].

‘We hope the evidence provided to the police will result in a successful conviction and lengthy sentence.'

Earlier this week, Charlie Ellins, 20, of Braintree Road, was charged with three counts of wounding with intent, possessing a weapon in public and Class A drugs.

Police also arrested a 15-year-old girl. She is no longer in police custody but still under investigation.