Investigation into violent Stanion pub incident dropped after police met with wall of silence

When a man was glassed in a lock-in at the Lord Nelson Inn in a sleepy village near Corby at 2am on January 2, fifteen armed police arrived to find a cache of dangerous weapons including a shotgun, a bottle, a baseball bat and, the next day, a meat cleaver.

With local people complaining of drug taking, lock-ins and fighting, a sinister side of Stanion’s last remaining pub began to emerge.

Officials immediately shut down the pub and launched an investigation into what on earth had been happening behind the 16th century walls.

Police arrested two men, aged 59 and 28, and interviewed them under caution.

But now the Northants Telegraph can reveal that officers have now been forced to drop that investigation because of a ‘lack of official witness accounts.’

Officers say there is also insufficient evidence to prosecute anyone.

Crucially, there was no working CCTV in the pub and the landlord initially gave a ‘no comment’ interview, instead submitting a prepared statement to officers. Other people who received minor injuries are also believed to have been uncooperative, initially claiming ‘nothing had happened’.

Now, no further legal action will be taken against the two people who were arrested at the time of the shocking incident.

The pub’s licence was immediately suspended following the incident and, on February 5, was revoked for a further three months by Corby Council.

Among the allegations were the suggestion an attacker had collected a meat cleaver from his granny's house before launching an assault at the pub, that the landlord was drunk and had an unlicensed shotgun under his bed when police arrived, that drug taking is common at the pub and that villagers had been approached by pushers in the beer garden.

In official documents to decide the fate of the pub run by landlord Michael Zacharias, 59, details of the incident emerged that revealed some locals were at their wits' end.

But other Stanion residents described the pub as the heart of the community, with a welcoming family-friendly atmosphere, and pleaded with officials to allow it to reopen.

In a statement to a meeting held two weeks after the incident, Superintendent Dennis Murray told councillors that he believed the pub was at the centre of serious disorder.

When police arrived at the pub, Supt Murray said they found a man with a serious arm injury believed to have been caused by a bottle.

His statement continued: “The injured party stated to police officers that the suspect for the assault was armed with a bottle, a baseball bat and what the injured party believed to be a firearm, possibly a shotgun."

Officers on the scene made the decision to call for an armed response to the incident so had to wait for their arrival. When they went inside, they found several people in the pub - which had a licence to serve alcohol until 1am - including the landlord Mr Zacharias.

Supt Murray's statement continued: "A full search of the premises is then made and officers recovered a blood-stained hooded top, two baseball bats and two firearms: one shotgun and one air rifle.

"The shotgun was located under the premises licence holder's bed, unsecured."

Further enquiries showed that Mr Zacharias's gun licence had been revoked in 2017. The statement went on: "It was also noted that he was intoxicated and that he stated that there was no CCTV within the premises, this is a breach of the premises licence as this is a condition."

"The suspect for the initial report of the assault was also arrested at the premises, officers also noted that other occupants at the premises stated that nothing had happened despite various minor injuries being seen on some of the occupants.

"Later in the day when a staff member was at work she discovered a meat cleaver under the television in the pub which she believed may have been used in the disturbance."

When questioned, the landlord gave a prepared statement then a no comment interview.

In minutes from the licensing meeting, which was chaired by Corby Borough Councillor Bob Eyles, police officers said that had received 'no co-operation' from the landlord or from other pub-goers which led to 'significant concerns for public safety'.

Section 53a of the licensing act allows the police to order an immediate licensing review where they believe there has been serious crime or disorder. The review must be ordered by a top police officer - in this case the most senior officer in the north of the county, Operations Superintendent Dennis Murray.

It is a rarely-used power, and is only invoked in the most serious of cases.

Solicitor for Mr Zacharias, Colin Hobbs, told January’s licensing meeting that his client had provided keys to police officers conducting their search and then had given his prepared statement after taking legal advice.

He said that repairs to his CCTV had been taken on January 10 but further work was needed to improve the quality of the images.

The meeting minutes continued: “In relation to the meat cleaver, Mr Hobbs stated that this had not been recovered by the police and was still in the premises."

Mr Zacharias said that the pub was not his main residence and that other staff members had access to the room where the shotgun was found.

He went on: "Mr Zacharias had restrained the attacker to prevent further injury."

Following the hour-long meeting, the council's licensing panel unanimously decided to suspend the pub's licence pending a public consultation.During that consultation, locals sent letters to Corby Council describing the pub as the 'heart of the community.' One said: "Our pub is essential to the community.

"My wife and I have only experienced a welcoming, friendly atmosphere. It would be devastating to see yet another pub closed and a business gone to waste leaving a huge void in our lovely village.".

A local pensioner said: “It is the one and only outlet I have to maintain a reasonable standard of life. The pub is my life. All of my friends that I have revolve around or are associated with the Nelson."

However, further representations from other locals painted a very different picture.

One said neighbours had to clear broken glass from outside the pub and said that local people are too scared to speak up.

Another said that the pub was a 'haven' for drug dealers.

In his astonishing letter to the committee, the local man accused the landlord of being 'foul mouthed' and said most of the village were 'scared to complain.' He said he had tried to sell his house to 'escape the noise.'

He added: "He is always getting into scuffs in the pub with his punters. It's usually later in the evening when people come over from Corby drunk and high. They only come as they know they get a lock-in."

"Twice in the last month a window has been smashed from the inside out.

"As well as noise the pub is rife with drug-takers. You can walk past the car park end and see into the gents' toilet through the window. There you can see men lining up the drugs on the windowsill to snort.

"It is a well-known haven for both purchasing and taking drugs and they blatantly stand outside both doors smoking it.

"One summer evening after a dog walk we stopped in the pub garden for a quick half.

"A young guy, maybe 30, started talking to us about dogs. He then said that he didn't come from Stanion but came over purely for a drink and to get drugs.

"He told us he had some in his car if we wanted to try them. We are all middle-aged, respectable people and to say we were left stunned was an understatement.

Members of Corby Council’s licensing committee further suspended the pub’s licence on February 5 for three months and invoked further conditions for its reopening. That three month period has now ended but, because of coronavirus restrictions, the pub remains closed.

When it reopens, it will have to adhere to a strict set of rules including working CCTV, membership of Corby pub watch and not allowing more than six people in the pub after 11pm.