Former East Devon landlord jailed for sexual assault will not have licence renewed until long after prison release

A former pub landlord who has been jailed for sexually assaulting three of his female bar staff has had his personal licence revoked and will be unable to reapply until long after his release from prison.

The decision made by East Devon District Council's licensing and enforcement sub-committee in August was only disclosed this week.

Members agreed to strip former landlord and Axminster sportsman Peter Hayball, 56, of South Chard, of his licence after he was was jailed in May for 18 months and placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years for offences committed between 2016 and 2018.  

During the trial, his victims heard how Mr Hayball, who was running a pub in Devon at the time, would pull open the tops of his female staff and try to place their wages into their cleavage.

He touched the breasts of at least one woman and was stopped from doing so by another. 

Hayball claimed he was just using 'Carry On-humour" when talking to staff and customers which had been misunderstood as sexual advances and never went beyond a joke.  

Hayball was prosecuted on 13 charges relating to four women. He was cleared of most but found guilty of three sexual offences.

Independent councillor for Cranbrook and chair of the licensing sub-committee Kim Bloxham said: "The licensing authority takes matters such as this very seriously.

"All licence holders are required to promote the 'licensing objectives' – including maintaining public safety and preventing crime and disorder. 

"The committee considered whether the holder of the licence remains a 'fit and proper' person to continue to hold a personal licence with these two objectives in mind. 

"The committee considers that the revocation of the personal licence on this occasion is a necessary and proportionate decision to ensure that the public remain safe where alcohol is being served, either in East Devon or wherever the holder might be operating in the future."

All sales of alcohol must be made by, or under the authority of a personal licence holder. The council's legal advisor Giles Slater explained the long term impact of Hayball's conviction. 

"Obviously if he applies for personal licence again, that will come up on his application that he's debarred for the next 10 years and he will be unable to apply until 2032," he said.  

Mr Slater also said, under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, Hayball's conviction would affect other areas of employment. 

He added: "A custodial sentence of 18 months imprisonment means that the rehabilitation for most other jobs is four years from the date on which the sentence is completed. So he won't be rehabilitated until 2026."