Liverpool bar has licence suspended following city centre stabbings

Police say the incidents are linked to a disturbance involving a large group of men who had been in The Safehouse bar.
Dominic Raynor
By Dominic Raynor
Published 31st Dec 2023, 09:55 BST
Merseyside Police cordon off a street. Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty ImagesMerseyside Police cordon off a street. Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Merseyside Police cordon off a street. Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images

A bar linked to a mass confrontation in Liverpool city centre that left a young boxer lying in the street with stab wounds has had its licence temporarily suspended.

Anthony Dodson, 21, was rushed to hospital after being found at the junction of Church Street and Whitechapel, near to McDonald's, by a police patrol at 5.17am on Wednesday 27 December. He was given CPR by the officers until the ambulance arrived. Mr Dodson is now in a stable condition and recovering in hospital.

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Two other men, aged 21 and 23, took themselves to hospital with injuries following what police described as a 'large-scale disturbance' in the centre of town. One had been stabbed in the back, the second had a laceration to the head, believed to be from a bottle. 

They have been discharged from hospital following treatment, along with a fourth man, aged 20, who was also found to have sustained cuts to his head following an investigation by police.

It is believed the incident is linked to an earlier disturbance involving a large group of males who had been in The Safehouse bar on Victoria Street and then clashed on neighbouring Peter Street. The late-night bar has had its licence suspended by Liverpool City Council until 24 January, when a full Committee hearing will take place, following an application from Merseyside Police.

The Safehouse bar on the corner of Victoria Street and Peter Street. Image: Google Street ViewThe Safehouse bar on the corner of Victoria Street and Peter Street. Image: Google Street View
The Safehouse bar on the corner of Victoria Street and Peter Street. Image: Google Street View

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Detectives are trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage from the city centre and have spoken to witnesses.

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Chief Inspector Tony Fairhurst said: “Incidents such as this are thankfully rare, and Liverpool has been awarded Purple Flag status for the past 12 years. It remains one of the safest cities in the UK and we know that people travel far from far and wide to enjoy what is on offer here, with hundreds and thousands coming into the city every weekend. We are determined to keep it that way.”

Merseyside Police raided a number of addresses in Anfield and Wavertree on Thursday 28 December as part of their investigation and evidential items were seized.

Chief Insp Fairhurst added: “We are making considerable progress in the investigation, and I would like to thank everyone who has assisted us so far. We know that this area of the city centre would have been very busy, and we know there are people who have not yet come forward to tell us what they know about who was involved.

“I want to appeal directly to them – if you were in a vehicle or on foot in the area of Peter Street who may have witnessed the disturbance, or have dashcam or camera phone footage, please come forward if you have already done so.

“If for whatever reason you do not want to come to the police, you can leave information completely anonymously with Crimestoppers, who operate independently of police."

Related topics:LiverpoolHospitalMcDonald'sPolicePeopleCPR