Smoke ban pub rebel's court date (From This Is Lancashire)

Smoke ban pub rebel's court date

7:52am Monday 28th January 2008

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REBEL landlord Nick Hogan will appear in court today, charged with defying the smoking ban.

The former licensee of The Swan Hotel and Barristers in Bradshawgate, Bolton town centre, is facing five counts of failing to prevent people from smoking in his pubs and four of obstructing council officers.

Mr Hogan, who has now sold his lease for the two pubs, is appearing for a trial at Bolton Magistrates Court.

He said: "I'm looking forward to my day in court. At the end of the day I've always said I don't permit people to smoke in my pubs.

"I explain to them that if they do smoke they will be breaking the law and could end up getting a fine, so I'm looking forward to proving that in court.

"If I win, I'm sure all the other landlords will get out their ashtrays and do exactly what I did.

"We haven't been given any powers to remove people and it shouldn't be up to us to enforce the ban."

The first person to be caught flouting the smoking ban, Gerard Hart, aged 47, was spotted lighting up in Barristers.

He was fined £100, ordered to pay £223 costs, plus a £15 victim surcharge, at Bolton Magistrates Court in October last year.

The smoking ban was introduced on July 1 last year.

If Mr Hogan is found guilty, he could face a fine of between £1,500 and £2,500 for each of the smoking offences and £1,000 on the obstruction charges.

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