Crane Birmingham has license permanently revoked after Boxing Day stabbing

Birmingham nightclub The Crane has had its licence permanently revoked following the stabbing of a man inside the venue on Boxing Day.

The 3,500-capacity venue previously had its licence suspended for 28 days after police said security was “ineffective”. The club’s license holder is Damian Eston, director of Digital Arts Media Ltd.

Following a Birmingham city council licensing committee meeting on 24 January, West Midlands police called on councillors to revoke the club’s licence permanently. It means the venue cannot reopen while any appeal against the decision is considered.

West Midlands Police said public safety was at “grave risk” at the venue due to an “inadequate search regime’ and widespread use of drugs.

Three men have been charged with murdering 23-year-old Cody Fisher, a sports coach from Redditch, Worcestershire, who played for non-league football club Stratford Town.

The renovated Victorian warehouse venue reopened on 15 October, having been closed in 2018 only months after it opened, when then-owner Rainbow Venues had its license revoked.