Bar where man was stabbed to death has its licence temporarily suspended

The Lincoln bar where a man was stabbed to death has had its alcohol licence suspended temporarily.

Police successfully appealed to council chiefs for Mezz Bar to have its licence to serve booze suspended following the death of Lincoln man Stuart Whitelaw.

A full hearing later this month will decide whether the bar, near the university campus in Ruston Way in Lincoln, should keep the licence.

But the step is the latest in a string of measures taken against licensed premises in the city in recent weeks.

The news emerged as a man appeared in court charged with the murder of 40-year-old father Mr Whitelaw.

Joe James Palmer, 26, of Allenby Close, off Monks Road in Lincoln, was remanded in custody until he next appears at Lincoln Crown Court on July 2.

He has yet to enter a plea.

Now officials at City of Lincoln Council have revealed that a full licensing hearing about the Mezz Bar will be held on May 27.

Caroline Ashman, a spokesman for the City of Lincoln Council, said: "The police called for a summary review because of the seriousness of what happened."

For more on the suspension, see Tuesday's Echo.