Fulham drunken yobs ban
Wednesday May 5, 2010
Lager louts and bingeing bully boys in Fulham Broadway have been given their marching orders after being banned from town centre pubs.
Since the Behave or Be Banned (BOBB) scheme was introduced in January, eight men have been barred from the town centre’s pubs for being drunk, abusive and violent. Between them, they will not be allowed to set foot in 11 pubs in the Broadway for the next four and a half years.
The ‘banned from one, banned from all’ joint initiative between Fulham Pubwatch landlords, police and H&F Council, means that antisocial drunks are automatically banned as soon as they are arrested. The scheme is also running in Shepherds Bush and could be rolled out across Hammersmith in the future.
Sergeant Sean McMahon, who has been leading the charge, said: “The BOBB scheme has been implemented to show those people who are intent on causing disorder that they are not welcome. The bans ensure these people do not revisit the Pubwatch venues, leaving others to enjoy their visit in a peaceful manner. The police, Pubwatch and the council all want to make sure Fulham Broadway is a safe and pleasant place to visit, where people can socialise responsibly.”
Mark Jiminez, 46, of Cranberry Road, Fulham, became the first to be banned from the Broadway’s bars when he tried to steal a detective’s handbag at her own leaving do at the Elk Bar. But with the room full of 30 police officers, he was quickly bundled to the ground and arrested. On top of an 18-month ban via the BOBB scheme, he was given an 18 month community order at West London Magistrates on March 16, and placed under curfew from 7pm to 7am for six months.
Another of those told to stay away for 18 months was Abdellah Benyarbah, who appeared at West London Magistrates Court in January. Door staff from Havana’s refused to let him into the bar as he was drunk, but this prompted a violent outburst from the 32-year-old. He spat in general manager and Pubwatch chariman, Frank Burden’s face, and then went on to headbutt an innocent member of the public waiting at a nearby bus stop. He was arrested and then taken to hospital, where he then headbutted a police officer. He was sentenced to 30 days prison for the assaults.
Five other men, who cannot be named, were each given a 18 month ban, for brawling, publicly urinating and punching customers in the Broadway Centre. Another who smashed the window of Belushi’s with an outdoor metal ashtray, was given a year-long ban.
Frank, 33, who has been chairing the group since October, said: “Pubwatch and BOBB have really brought all the bars together, as we weren’t communicating properly with each other before. Now we discuss problems, look at how we can improve and make sure we’re all on the same page, that our message is clear.
“We want people to come to Fulham, enjoy and have a good night out, but we don’t want any troublemakers, and if anyone kicks off, then their chances of getting into another bar are non-existent. It simply won’t happen.”
The Fulham Pubwatch scheme has undergone a transformation in the last few months – its members meet on a monthly basis instead of every three months, as they did previously to share information and photos of the banned people and are in constant touch via a new internal website system. It is up to the Pubwatch group to decide how long a ban should last and if it should be lifted at any time.
Other improvements include door staff using town link radios to communicate, and tell staff at other pubs about potential trouble makers, with the council’s CCTV control room acting as the central point of contact.
