A NIGHTCLUB boss has been removed from his post following a conviction for possessing a Taser.
Gray Coe, who co-owns Flirt! nightclub in Consort Way, Horley, was stripped of his role as the designated premises supervisor of the nightspot by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council this week. It comes after he was convicted of possessing a Taser, which police found at the club during a New Year's Eve raid, following a tip-off.
Representing the police, Robert Talalay told a licensing hearing on Monday: "The offence should not be diminished in its seriousness. A Taser is an extremely serious weapon. It can stun, and it can, for people with a weak heart, kill. It is not a toy gun."
Mr Coe said he had confiscated the weapon from a member of staff – who was later sacked – on December 27 and put it in his safe for police to later collect.
But Mr Talalay said that when police raided the club on December 31, Mr Coe denied having a weapon, said he could not find the keys to the safe, and threatened to sue officers if they removed the safe.
"Effectively there was a long and drawn out procedure whereby Mr Coe sought to dissemble and sought to evade, so the police would not find the Taser in the premises," he said.
He questioned why Mr Coe had not reported having the weapon to officers. Mr Coe said he had told two PCSOs about it and was waiting for it to be collected, along with a knuckle-duster found in the club's smoking area on December 28.
"I was doing what I thought was the right thing to do," he told the committee. "To confiscate an item that is classed as a firearm and put it out of reach of the public, [and] children."
Asked by his counsel Richard Williams why he did not tell officers about the Taser when they raided the club, he said: "I panicked at the time. We had a full club of 300 or 400 people and with all those armed police present I panicked."
Police statements suggested there were between six and ten customers there at the time. Mr Coe intimated they had lied.
In its decision statement, the committee stated: "A Taser gun on the premises is very serious and the committee feel Mr Coe should have reported it immediately.
"The committee also recognise there are several inconsistencies in Mr Coe's evidence. It is the committee's view Mr Coe was not forthcoming with the police when they visited on December 31, which is of great concern in his ability to be a designated premises supervisor."
Speaking after the hearing, Mr Coe said the committee's decision was "no drama". His wife Caroline intends to take over as designated premises supervisor and the club will open as usual tonight (Thursday).
