Leader
Is the fined pub owner a local hero?
THE most surprising thing about the prosecution of West Oxfordshire licensee Gerry Stonhill for allowing smoking in his pub-restaurant is that it's the first one to be brought in the county.
The law was brought in two summers ago, and, even by his own admission, Mr Stonhill had been flouting it at The Mason Arms in South Leigh until he was caught.
And there's the rub, because it all depends on people coming forward to report it and give evidence. The police have better things to do than go round checking on every licensed premises.
So, enforcement has been left in the hands of local councils, which, in turn, cannot afford the manpower. All they can do is receive information, check it out, and, if necessary, bring the case to court.
Mr Stonhill, by all accounts, is not short of a bob or two to pay his costly bill for breaking the law. A sympathetic customer has even given him a £500 helping hand donation.
To some people, he is now seen as something of a hero, taking on an unjust piece of legislation by defending the right to smoke in a public place, as if it were as essential to the British way of life as Habeas Corpus. It is not.
Like all licensees, Mr Stonhill welcomes customers into his establishment, even non-smokers, whose distaste for the habit should be respected. They really should not be put in the position of having to 'snitch' to the local council.
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3:04pm Tuesday 22nd April 2008
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