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Hogan to appeal if found guilty of smoking ban breach
20 September, 2007
Bolton licensee won't go down without a fight
Smoke ban rebel Nick Hogan has vowed to appeal if he is found guilty at his impending trial – and compared discrimination against smokers to racism and homophobia.
Hogan’s trial date has been set for November 12, and the licensee has already pleaded not guilty to five counts of failing to prevent people from smoking in his pubs the Swan and Barristers in Bolton.
He also entered the plea not guilty to four counts of obstructing council officers.
Asked whether Hogan would appeal against Bolton magistrates court if it found him guilty, he said “absolutely”.
He said: “Why doesn’t the government ban the product? Because it gives it billions in revenue. If I treated a gay person or a black person in this way I would quite rightly have my arse kicked all over town.”
He added: “Pubs are places where people meet and greet and socialise and to go around to any section or any minority group and say ‘can you please go outside’ is fundamentally wrong.”
Hogan said the government should “compromise” and have “smoking pubs and non-smoking pubs like they do in the majority of pubs in Europe.”
Hogan’s future at the pubs is also under threat from another source at the moment, as a rival licensee Darren Miller claims to have bought the pubs with a vacant possession from former Provence chief Paul Kiely.
Readers' comments
Carlos- you'll be supporting his family when he gets sent down then? "don't worry we're all behind you" but not stood next to him in the dock eh? Just shouting encouragement from behind the sandbags?
Jerry, would the "in a year's time" be when quite a few of the small pubs and wet lead pubs have closed and been converted into expensive apartments?
Precisely ignore Jerry- he's probably just an ASH plant anyway. Nick we are all behind you and agree entirely that this discrimination is exactly as you say. Well done for standing up to this new totalitarian phenomenon and shame on other publicans who critisize the stance of him and many others. The pub is after all their property and is not public therefore it should be them and NOT the government in determining whether their businesses go smokefree.
"If I treated a gay person or a black person in this way I would quite rightly have my arse kicked all over town.”.. Strange how he selectively chooses which laws to adhere to when it suits him........he'll get his 15 minutes of fame without a doubt, but he's also just what the government are looking for, a gullible fool who'll be made an example of. Publicans be warned; he hasn't a leg to stand on and the only people to benefit from this will be his greedy lawyers hastening him to his doom. His arrogant bravado belies the fact he is willing to put his family's welfare at risk for an issue that will be forgot about in a year's time.
Well done Nick! You've got a lot of people behind you. Never forget that! Lets replace this draconian ban with choice.