Man with cannabis conviction given alcohol licence

A man who was convicted of cannabis production two years ago has been awarded an alcohol licence by Bradford Council.

West Yorkshire Police objected to an application for the licence on the basis of a drug-related conviction from 2024 and said Joseph Roy Pickles was not a fit person to have the responsibility of an alcohol licence.

But after hearing from Pickles, Bradford Council's District Licensing Panel decided he "no longer has the propensity to reoffend" and granted the licence.

In 2024, Pickles was convicted of possession and production of cannabis and received a suspended custodial sentence, which has concluded.

At the meeting on Tuesday, Pickles told the panel he had turned his life around and was now moving forward.

He said: "I have to put my hands up - I was in a dark place at the time.

"I had a mortgage to pay. I didn't do it to go on fancy holidays; it was to keep my head above water.

"Getting a personal licence would mean a great deal to me."

His representative, Chris Rees-Gay, said the convictions were now spent and must be disregarded.

He said: "There is no question these convictions are spent.

"Because of that we shouldn't even be here discussing this application today.

"The police offer no other case than relying on a spent conviction."

PC Tony Brown of West Yorkshire Police said even if a conviction was spent, police could still object to a person applying for a licence if they believed their past crimes made them unfit to hold one.

Explaining the drug convictions, Rees-Gay said Pickles had owned a large house and was struggling to pay bills due to periods of unemployment, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He told the panel the house had since been sold, and Pickles now had a steady job working at the Stansfield Arms in Apperley Bridge, where he has the full trust of his employer.

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