‘Why have my attackers still not been arrested?’ (From The Argus)

The Argus ran an article on the 16th Oct stating that the Police, the Council and neighbours were objecting to this club being opened in the first place. Seems they were all justified but unsucessful. Did the Argus follow up their initial story? If they did I can't find it, but then again I'm not really surprised, that would entail a degree of journalistic competence that we've grown to not expect. The clubs management, at the time, stated they were aiming to attract a 'classy clientele' which understandably drew many incredulous comments. Can the Argus please report how this club, despite this opposition, managed to get approval to open? I for one am very interested to know how the system 'worked' in this case and am not satisfied with an initial sensationalist story with no follow through. Do your job Argus.

Ah this is the same club 'smack' that was trying to convince us last month that it would attract a high class clientele, with the feel of a 1980's New York Coffee Party (what ever that means!?) Mr Shanin, you are not safe in this city if you choose to spend the evening in West Street on a Friday or Saturday night, I cant understand why the police have not interviewed the person that has been named, or why the police have not been provided with or seen CCTV? surely time is of the essence in matters like this for witnesses to have clear recollection of events.

spa301 wrote:
The Argus ran an article on the 16th Oct stating that the Police, the Council and neighbours were objecting to this club being opened in the first place. Seems they were all justified but unsucessful. Did the Argus follow up their initial story? If they did I can't find it, but then again I'm not really surprised, that would entail a degree of journalistic competence that we've grown to not expect. The clubs management, at the time, stated they were aiming to attract a 'classy clientele' which understandably drew many incredulous comments. Can the Argus please report how this club, despite this opposition, managed to get approval to open? I for one am very interested to know how the system 'worked' in this case and am not satisfied with an initial sensationalist story with no follow through. Do your job Argus.

I fail to see how your comment has any bearing on this story.

1) The club would of been a club whether it was called 'Smack', 'Hat' or 'Tw*t'. It has been a club for years.

2) The article said the victim had left the club before he was attacked, you have assumed that the attackers were in the club and followed him. Would you blame a branch of Tesco's if he had walked out of there and was attacked?

If you wish to have a rant maybe you should take a leaf out of the victims book and write to your MP.

I hope the attackers are found as it doen't matter who you are you shouldn't have to be subjected to violence in that way.

Spa301, Brighton-Breezey, What planet do you live on?

Anyone who is assaulted on west street will have been in a club of some sort. It isn't the responsibility of a licenced venue to be a bodyguard for every person who ever comes into the venue after they leave. How in the name of God would that be possible.

Having been in the venue that night and knowing who the victim is, I know that the assault happened a lot further up west street and took place a significant amount of time after Sohail left the club. What perverse logic are you using to blame this on a licenced venue? Just because Sohail had been in 'Smack' doesnt mean that his attackers had been, there simply is no correlation between an exchange of words in a venue and an attack that happened a significant period of time later. That is not how the article reads!

No fight, violence or anything of the sort happened at Smack that night, which is more than can probably be said for most other venues on West Street.

The truth is that Brighton at the weekend is full of aggressive and unpleasant behaviour due to excess drinking. And we seem to be seeing very little action from B&HCC or the police to curb and control this. Brighton could be anywhere UK, and that's sad.

if he is highlighting the dispute in smack and connecting it to the assault outside and even supplying a name you would think they were linked somehow. if not why mention the previous dispute at all?

if he is highlighting the dispute in smack and connecting it to the assault outside and even supplying a name you would think they were linked somehow. if not why mention the previous dispute at all?

I'd like to mention 1 thing first to get everyone updated.. the club is the issue of the matter because of the fact that they sell £1 drinks on a thursday night where there are no police officers present on West street that night due to cuts of funding. And i'd also like the mention that the person behind the text is actually a promoter of the club who was involved in the attack alongside many over promoters. And you're telling me the club is not to blame for all this?! Imagine what £1 a drink can do to young teenagers behaviours at that time of the morning? And also the "Woman" I had an arguement with is only 17 years of age!!!!!! Please tell me how you still think the club is not responsible.

And you're doing a law degree?

Good luck with that.

we need either a private police force paid by the clubs, a public police force stepped up by private funding, or the clubs shut down, Or keep the clubs open.

or the council can continue their policy supporting people to be assaulted, harassed, awakened even killed, and have our streets filled with litter puke and drunkards,no doubt All because the local clubs lobby the politicians.

They may be bringing money into Brighton and hove, but at what cost.

we simply can't continue with this drunken violent society where it is not safe to go outside at night in fear of groups of drunken raving violent maniacs assaulting and accosting you.

Inaction will give rise to vigilantism, the crimes go beyond the actions of individuals, but the club managers, the politicians, and all those accountable for security and safety of the people of this city need to bare as much guilt as the people committing these actions.

spa301 wrote:
The Argus ran an article on the 16th Oct stating that the Police, the Council and neighbours were objecting to this club being opened in the first place. Seems they were all justified but unsucessful. Did the Argus follow up their initial story? If they did I can't find it, but then again I'm not really surprised, that would entail a degree of journalistic competence that we've grown to not expect. The clubs management, at the time, stated they were aiming to attract a 'classy clientele' which understandably drew many incredulous comments. Can the Argus please report how this club, despite this opposition, managed to get approval to open? I for one am very interested to know how the system 'worked' in this case and am not satisfied with an initial sensationalist story with no follow through. Do your job Argus.

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting

Must have been some row on the street to attract that sort of attention

I'd wager a fair bit that if that assault had been on a policeman, arrests would have been made and files prepared . . . . .

Sohail

Smack is the only venue on west street that DOES NOT sell drinks at £1 at any point through the week. The level of pricing across the night-clubs in Brighton is fairly consistent, and on West street, Smack is one of the most expensive venues. When every venue is charging the same prices for drinks to the same clientele it is somewhat misleading to try to place the blame for violence on one individual venue. It also seems slightly odd that, given your facebook history that shows you regularly frequenting nights across Brighton that sell drinks at prices at a similar level, if not cheaper, than Smack, that you decide to take a stand on this kind of promotion now? I would suggest that your gripe is with pricing across the city as a whole, and not with the venue you happened to be in earlier on the evening of the attack. In addition to this, week day bar spends on the whole of the west street tend to be very low, due to the 'pre-loading', young people engage in, and once they are in town they tend to drink only a little. Alcohol can be purchased for as little as 25 pence per unit from a shop with an off licence, the logic of your argument would ultimately place the blame on these businesses.

Smack does not employ any promoters, the venue is hired by promotions companies. If your gripe is with them then you should take it up with the promotions company, and more to to the point, supply the details of the person responsible to the police. How it can possibly be the fault of a private company that the police have failed to act is beyond me.

It is a condition of door entry that either a passport or driving licence is shown as part of a challenge 25 policy. If there was a 17 year old girl was in the venue, than can I suggest that you immediately report this to both the venue, and the police, since she will be guilty of either using fake documents or forging documents in order to gain entry.

Bearing in mind that the assault that occurred happened, I believe, after the venue has closed, and by your own admission, (according to your Facebook page), by the clock tower, some distance from the venue you are trying to associate the attack with, I would suggest that any link to the venue is highly dubious. I would also remark that trying to essentially blame a corporation for an assault, that it quite plainly has no involvement in, or reason to be involved with, is staring to cross into litigious territory.

the victim received a threatning text message, trace owner of text,trace owner of phone and interview under caution...cctv,shoul
dnt be a problem,plenty of cameras in town, so why have arrests not being made?????

So, sohail, what you are saying is that a company is responsible for the actions of its employees when they are not at work. And, although every venue in the city has ridiculously low drinks prices, somehow, violence that occurs away from west street is the fault of one specific venue? It is completely illogical to argue that this incident has anything to do with the venue. And moreover, if there were that many people trying to beat you up, it would seem fairly apparent to most people that this incident would have occurred due to a pre-existing situation, rather than a minor argument that did not develop into a fight, in a night club, earlier in the evening.

in response to spa301 and Brighton-Breezy

There is a very conclusive and simple rebuttal to your fairly ignorant assertions, and this is to look at the incidents that happened before the current club opened, and compare it to the incidents that occurred at that location in its previous incarnation. These facts are very simple and show that in the last few months Smack has experienced about 3 violent incidents, where as the same venue under its previous owners, (when it was called pasha), would experience 3 violent incidents on a saturday night alone!

What the police actually objected to, (if you read the documentation properly), is the changed layout of the venue. The existence of the venue was never in question, it would have continued as it was, or changed to how it is now, and there aren't many people who would argue that it isn't significantly better as it is now.

What the new operators have done, (and I say this as a competing operator), is dramatically reduce the level of crime and disorder at this venue, and should be congratulated for investing their time and money into our city, making it a better and more desirable place, rather than persecuted by the ignorant, the meddlers, the uninitiated, and those who seem to carry some kind of personal vendetta. Brighton is far too heavily involved in the night time economy to remove itself from it, so we have the responsibility of supporting responsible and independent operators, (such as those at Smack), who bring character to our city in the face of the large corporate licenced operators who are turning our city in to a replica of every other major UK town.

Gosh I must be getting old I thought the name of the club being Smack was why one attended such a place and why this chappie got a black eye.
Is it not an S&M club? Shame.

Sussex Police are far to busy to investigate due to a far more serious incident involving a 16 year old boy throwing ham at a Mosque it seems.

Sohail....hope you get over this quickly. it's not nice to be on the end of that......most towns/Cities are getting much rougher now, and the best thing to do is steer clear of these areas (IMHO). Have a night out in a local, among people that know you....cheers.

'sohail, i've just been looking at your facebook photos, and from the places you seem to frequent, the nights you frequent them on, and the drinks in your hand, I think it is slightly hypocritical of you to attack a venue for selling cut price drinks, when this is clearly something you yourself take part in regularly. I would also say that your insinuation that Smack selling cut price drinks is promoting irresponsible drinking, is completely out of order when there are pictures of you downing bottles of champagne in lola lo; An activity which I don't think anyone would describe as responsible drinking. I'm not saying that anyone has the right to attack you, but maybe you should blame the people who attacked you and not a completely innocent company.'

mrbarley wrote:
'sohail, i've just been looking at your facebook photos, and from the places you seem to frequent, the nights you frequent them on, and the drinks in your hand, I think it is slightly hypocritical of you to attack a venue for selling cut price drinks, when this is clearly something you yourself take part in regularly. I would also say that your insinuation that Smack selling cut price drinks is promoting irresponsible drinking, is completely out of order when there are pictures of you downing bottles of champagne in lola lo; An activity which I don't think anyone would describe as responsible drinking. I'm not saying that anyone has the right to attack you, but maybe you should blame the people who attacked you and not a completely innocent company.'

How can you tell by looking at facebook photos about my personality and the way I drink? Pictures of me downing champagne bottles was actually me on my 18th birthday. I am not blaming the club for their drinks but if they allow underaged teenagers regularly in their club and then they proceed to drink alot of these cheap drinks, its likely that it may cause problems violently. And this whole case has nothing to do with the alcohol sold. This is about me being attacked by a large group of males which are associated with the nightclub. And also the fact that there was no one around to help me whilst I was being punched and kicked repeatedly on the floor. I informed the police about a threat that was sent to me via text 10 minutes after the incident telling me they know where i live and they're coming for me. Now tell me why the police have taken 3 weeks to follow this text message after clear and enough evidence is in black and white?

mrbarley wrote:
'sohail, i've just been looking at your facebook photos, and from the places you seem to frequent, the nights you frequent them on, and the drinks in your hand, I think it is slightly hypocritical of you to attack a venue for selling cut price drinks, when this is clearly something you yourself take part in regularly. I would also say that your insinuation that Smack selling cut price drinks is promoting irresponsible drinking, is completely out of order when there are pictures of you downing bottles of champagne in lola lo; An activity which I don't think anyone would describe as responsible drinking. I'm not saying that anyone has the right to attack you, but maybe you should blame the people who attacked you and not a completely innocent company.'

How can you tell by looking at facebook photos about my personality and the way I drink? Pictures of me downing champagne bottles was actually me on my 18th birthday. I am not blaming the club for their drinks but if they allow underaged teenagers regularly in their club and then they proceed to drink alot of these cheap drinks, its likely that it may cause problems violently. And this whole case has nothing to do with the alcohol sold. This is about me being attacked by a large group of males which are associated with the nightclub. And also the fact that there was no one around to help me whilst I was being punched and kicked repeatedly on the floor. I informed the police about a threat that was sent to me via text 10 minutes after the incident telling me they know where i live and they're coming for me. Now tell me why the police have taken 3 weeks to follow this text message after clear and enough evidence is in black and white?

Jessie-x wrote:
Sohail

Smack is the only venue on west street that DOES NOT sell drinks at £1 at any point through the week. The level of pricing across the night-clubs in Brighton is fairly consistent, and on West street, Smack is one of the most expensive venues. When every venue is charging the same prices for drinks to the same clientele it is somewhat misleading to try to place the blame for violence on one individual venue. It also seems slightly odd that, given your facebook history that shows you regularly frequenting nights across Brighton that sell drinks at prices at a similar level, if not cheaper, than Smack, that you decide to take a stand on this kind of promotion now? I would suggest that your gripe is with pricing across the city as a whole, and not with the venue you happened to be in earlier on the evening of the attack. In addition to this, week day bar spends on the whole of the west street tend to be very low, due to the 'pre-loading', young people engage in, and once they are in town they tend to drink only a little. Alcohol can be purchased for as little as 25 pence per unit from a shop with an off licence, the logic of your argument would ultimately place the blame on these businesses.

Smack does not employ any promoters, the venue is hired by promotions companies. If your gripe is with them then you should take it up with the promotions company, and more to to the point, supply the details of the person responsible to the police. How it can possibly be the fault of a private company that the police have failed to act is beyond me.

It is a condition of door entry that either a passport or driving licence is shown as part of a challenge 25 policy. If there was a 17 year old girl was in the venue, than can I suggest that you immediately report this to both the venue, and the police, since she will be guilty of either using fake documents or forging documents in order to gain entry.

Bearing in mind that the assault that occurred happened, I believe, after the venue has closed, and by your own admission, (according to your Facebook page), by the clock tower, some distance from the venue you are trying to associate the attack with, I would suggest that any link to the venue is highly dubious. I would also remark that trying to essentially blame a corporation for an assault, that it quite plainly has no involvement in, or reason to be involved with, is staring to cross into litigious territory.

Jessie, you clearly must represent and likely work for this club. I can identify you about 11 people in the club that night who were underaged. You have to ask yourself the question.. By risking the club's license why would they let in any underaged teenagers? More money? Greed? Ask your club to present me their CCTV evidence and i'm happy to identify every underaged teenager that was present that night.

Jessie-x wrote:
Sohail

Smack is the only venue on west street that DOES NOT sell drinks at £1 at any point through the week. The level of pricing across the night-clubs in Brighton is fairly consistent, and on West street, Smack is one of the most expensive venues. When every venue is charging the same prices for drinks to the same clientele it is somewhat misleading to try to place the blame for violence on one individual venue. It also seems slightly odd that, given your facebook history that shows you regularly frequenting nights across Brighton that sell drinks at prices at a similar level, if not cheaper, than Smack, that you decide to take a stand on this kind of promotion now? I would suggest that your gripe is with pricing across the city as a whole, and not with the venue you happened to be in earlier on the evening of the attack. In addition to this, week day bar spends on the whole of the west street tend to be very low, due to the 'pre-loading', young people engage in, and once they are in town they tend to drink only a little. Alcohol can be purchased for as little as 25 pence per unit from a shop with an off licence, the logic of your argument would ultimately place the blame on these businesses.

Smack does not employ any promoters, the venue is hired by promotions companies. If your gripe is with them then you should take it up with the promotions company, and more to to the point, supply the details of the person responsible to the police. How it can possibly be the fault of a private company that the police have failed to act is beyond me.

It is a condition of door entry that either a passport or driving licence is shown as part of a challenge 25 policy. If there was a 17 year old girl was in the venue, than can I suggest that you immediately report this to both the venue, and the police, since she will be guilty of either using fake documents or forging documents in order to gain entry.

Bearing in mind that the assault that occurred happened, I believe, after the venue has closed, and by your own admission, (according to your Facebook page), by the clock tower, some distance from the venue you are trying to associate the attack with, I would suggest that any link to the venue is highly dubious. I would also remark that trying to essentially blame a corporation for an assault, that it quite plainly has no involvement in, or reason to be involved with, is staring to cross into litigious territory.

Jessie, you clearly must represent and likely work for this club. I can identify you about 11 people in the club that night who were underaged. You have to ask yourself the question.. By risking the club's license why would they let in any underaged teenagers? More money? Greed? Ask your club to present me their CCTV evidence and i'm happy to identify every underaged teenager that was present that night.

Sohail can you please let me know the reason the police are giving you for doing nothing about this.The police got cctv evidence against me for shouting out a window in Saltdean at a man that had been making threats to me for mths.They charged me with a public order offence.Plus they where able to get 15 officers to deal.Please what ever you do young man don't let the police or these people get away with what they have done to you.