The Yes Bar in Welling is well known to the police. And the man who owns the lease to the premises was recently shot outside his home. LINDA PIPER reports ...

ASHOOTING victim attacked at his home in Bexley Village on November 5 has been released from hospital.

Francis Byrne, 48, who suffered wounds to his head and shoulder, was attacked by a black man armed with a handgun at the front door of his home in Bexley Village High Street.

In the meantime, more details have emerged about Mr Byrne, who lives in the village with his wife Eileen.

Mr Byrne owns the lease on the Yes Bar in Lingfield Close, Falconwood, Welling, and, until May this year, his wife and son, also called Francis, were its licensees.

Mr Byrne senior was jailed by Croydon Crown Court in 1997 for wounding and affray after assaulting a barmaid with a bar stool at the Jolly Fenman pub in Blackfen.

He also has previous drink-drive convictions and was not considered a fit and proper person to hold a licence for his bar.

The Yes Bar is also well known to Bexley police. In November last year there was a fight at the bar, involving weapons, which spilled out onto the street after a man and woman were found taking cocaine in the ladies' toilets. Two people were hospitalised.

On September 18 police were called to the bar after a member of the public reported a fight in which a man was waving a sawn-off shotgun at Mr Byrne.

When police arrived they found nothing and no-one was willing to talk to police about what had happened.

Mr Byrne and his son are currently on police bail after being arrested in Western Way, Thamesmead, on September 19.

A vehicle in which they were passengers tried to avoid police by crossing the central reservation.

When they were finally stopped, it was discovered the car had false number plates and had been stolen during a burglary in Surrey.

The three other people in the car, who all had previous convictions for drugs offences and violence, were also arrested.

One was also wanted in connection with a stabbing.

On September 23, police mounted an early-morning raid on the Yes Bar and the flat above using two warrants issued under the Firearms Act.

Mr Byrne and his son were present and although no firearms were found, a number of baseball bats and pickaxe handles were found hidden around the bar.

Police have also been called several times by Mrs Byrne, alleging assault by her husband, but no action was taken after she refused to take the allegations further.

Officers are still appealing for help in catching the gunman who shot Mr Byrne. They particularly want to hear from people in the Old Mill pub/restaurant opposite Mr Byrne's home at the time of the shooting.

Anyone with information should call the Met Police's Trafalgar team on 020 8217 7355 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

MAGISTRATES REVOKE LICENCES

BEXLEY police successfully applied to magistrates last week to revoke the personal licences for the Yes Bar.

Licensing officer PC Eddy Boston told the licensing justices at Bexley Magistrates' Court Eileen Byrne had been running the bar without any licence.

He said the two people who held the licences for the bar, Melvyn Cooke and Kelly Doyle, had left in July and were no longer involved with the business.

However, the bar continued to open despite the fact no application had been made to replace the licensees.

PC Boston said he had no evidence to suggest Mr Cooke and Miss Doyle were ever at the bar.

Mrs Byrne and her son, also called Francis, had held the licences for the bar.

Mr Byrne senior was considered not to be a fit person to hold a licence because of previous convictions from drink-driving and violence.

The licences were transferred to Mr Cooke and Miss Doyle in May, when Mr Cooke told the licensing magistrates he was hoping to buy the lease on the bar.

Although they left in July, Mr Cooke and Miss Doyle did not notify PC Boston they had cut their connection with the Yes Bar until September 23 the day the bar was searched by police for firearms.

The bar had continued to sell alcohol without a licensee until it closed on September 29.

PC Boston told magistrates the bar had a chequered history and police had been called there a number of times.