Smoking ban rebel fined £10,000

Smoking ban rebel fined £10,000

28 January, 2008

Nick Hogan furious after court finds him guilty

Smoking ban rebel Nick Hogan has slammed a court after being fined £10,000 for failing to stop people lighting-up in his pubs.

He was found guilty of four counts of the charge at a hearing at Bolton Magistrates Court today.

He said: “I think the financial penalty is extortionate considering the offence. If I was a drug dealer doing small amounts of cocaine I would probably only get a slap on the wrists.”

The former licensee of the Swan Hotel and Barristers in Bolton was also cleared of four charges of obstructing council officers and another charge of failing to stop people smoking.

He added: “What this has done has denied every publican in the country a right to a fair trial because £10,000 is a lot of money to most people.”

Hogan added he was considering whether to appeal against the decision.
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