The Hotel Steyne made news headlines in 2015 when police happened upon four 17-year old girls drinking at the venue.
Now Fairfax Media reports that a District Court has handed down the Manly venue’s punishment today, which will see the Steyne pay thousands of dollars over three years as well as an immediate fine of $5700.
The venue has also been handed a ‘strike’ which means it is required to pay $3,000 per year in “compliance risk loading” and another $8,000 “patron capacity loading” fine every year during the three year ‘strike’ period. If the Steyne receives two more strikes the bar will lose it’s license to serve alcohol entirely.
The decision has been handed down just days before the NSW State Government will announce its response to a review of the three-strike laws, which was conducted by the same man who reviewed Sydney’s Lockout Laws; former High Court judge Ian Callinan.
Steyne owner Arthur Laundy told Fairfax that he was “shattered” by the decision. “I’m so disappointed. You try hard and one blemish in eight years and this is the result,” he said.
When the incident occurred in 2015 a decision was made not to award a ‘strike’, but that decision was reversed after the Director of Public Prosecution successfully appealed against it this week.
