Greenwich pub forced to close after stabbing given another chance and new name
By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter
A pub has been allowed to reopen with a new name after a man was allegedly stabbed outside the venue, forcing it to shut down.
The Star and Garter in Woolwich closed in August 2021 when a man was allegedly stabbed outside the venue.
After the incident, the Woolwich pub had its licence taken away as police claimed staff didn’t call them and hadn’t taken steps to prevent the incident happening.
The pub, in Old Woolwich Road, will reopen as the Star of Greenwich later this year after the council revealed it approved a new licence on Friday.
The application for the new pub was put forward by Lisa Donohoe, who the Met Police claimed was working at the Star and Garter on the night of the alleged stabbing outside the venue.
Ms Donohoe told a Greenwich council licencing meeting on October 27 that she didn’t work at the previous pub, but was simply filling in for a friend on the night of the incident.
PC Andy Renno told the meeting that it took 10 days for police to catch the suspect involved in the stabbing because the old venue lacked CCTV.
Police documents also said that nobody at the pub saw the incident occur.
Ms Donohoe told the council that she was training to be a paramedic at the time, and that she brought the victim into the toilet to care for him.
PC Renno said that police were only called to the scene by paramedics after an ambulance had arrived.
She addressed concerns about antisocial behaviour at the meeting, saying CCTV and a noise limiter would be installed at the new pub.
She said: “I’m not going to do anything to risk my career now and risk my licence.
“As we said, the pub previously, as the Star and Garter, probably wasn’t run in the best way, but that all needs to change now. As I said, there will be a zero tolerance policy [on antisocial behaviour].”
Greenwich council approved the application for the Star of Greenwich to open on the conditions that no customers can be outside after 10pm and Ms Donohoe cannot work as a supervisor in the pub.
Pictured top: The old Star & Garter pub in Old Woolwich Road, Greenwich (Picture: Google Street View)