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Now smoke ban rebel will face court
10:55am Sunday 5th August 2007
SMOKING ban rebel Nick Hogan is to face court after defying an order to meet council bosses.
Bolton Council confirmed its legal team would begin proceedings after the landlord of The Swan and Barristers pubs in Bradshawgate failed to turn up to a meeting at his own pub with environmental health officers yesterday.
Mr Hogan has refused to force smokers to put out their cigarettes in his pubs since the ban was introduced on July 1.
He threw out environmental officers when they tried to issue him with a warning that he faced a £2,500 fine for allowing smokers to light up in The Swan last month.
Mr Hogan has since refused to attend any interview under caution and repeatedly called for the council to take him to court so his views could be aired publicly.
A council spokesman said: "We can confirm that Mr Hogan failed to attend an interview on Friday.
"We have attempted to speak to him on numerous occasions over recent weeks and he has repeatedly refused to co-operate.
"The case will be referred to our legal team who will make arrangements for a court date."
Your Say Yourtheboltonnews
King Eric, . says...
12:55pm Sun 5 Aug 07
Laws and regulations are there for the guidance of the intelligent, and the blind obedience of the idiot.
Excellent, I'll be along later to steal your TV as I don't agree with the Theft Act.
berushka, europe says...
2:24pm Sun 5 Aug 07
Tommy, says...
3:56pm Sun 5 Aug 07
Eric, stealing televisions is okay? shows just who you are.
I think the point he was making was that just because you disagree with a law doesn't mean going around breaking it will make your point any clearer.
RagReader, Horwich says...
4:31pm Sun 5 Aug 07
King Eric wrote:Great comment, I hope Mr. Hogan has pay the full costs when he loses his case and probably his licence.
Laws and regulations are there for the guidance of the intelligent, and the blind obedience of the idiot.Excellent, I'll be along later to steal your TV as I don't agree with the Theft Act.
JoePublic, Bolton says...
4:49pm Sun 5 Aug 07
Grumps, Hunger Hill says...
12:26am Mon 6 Aug 07
Consequently he should be taken to court,fined and possibly have his license revoked.
To encourage him further is tantamount to risking anachy.
Gloria, Bolton says...
12:30pm Mon 6 Aug 07
Jay, Stockton says...
2:01pm Mon 6 Aug 07
gazz_ball - Supera Moras!, bolton says...
4:04pm Mon 6 Aug 07
Jay, Stockton says...
4:08pm Mon 6 Aug 07
gazz_ball - Supera Moras!, bolton says...
4:26pm Mon 6 Aug 07
Bill Gibson, says...
4:28pm Mon 6 Aug 07
Arnold, Lancs. says...
5:14pm Mon 6 Aug 07
If he had tried to throw them out the police would have been called and he'd be arrested immediately for obstruction.
simonbarnes, Peterborough says...
6:30pm Mon 6 Aug 07
- Thoreau
freedom2choose.co.uk
Eddie D, Scotland says...
8:02pm Mon 6 Aug 07
I see King Eric of the Braindead is posting his usual rubbish.Carry on smoking and get right up the noses of the Anti's.
D.Shephard, Nanny Republic says...
9:21pm Mon 6 Aug 07
Jay wrote:I agree 100%!!
Nick Hogan is making a legitimate protest against a law based on deceit and which ignores the rights of private property owners. If you take the view that the law should be obeyed by virtue of being the law then you deserve all the oppression you get. Disobeying this law is the only way that those who have an interest in it, yet were not consulted can voice their objection.
I do sometimes wonder when antis blurt on about it being the law, how many of them were involved in poll tax demo's because it was an unfair and unjust law. If a law is unjust it needs civil disobedience
Jan Gibbons, Manchester says...
7:47pm Tue 7 Aug 07
CK, Swindon says...
8:03pm Tue 7 Aug 07
Jan Gibbons wrote:I agree 100%.
I wish Nick Hogan all the luck in the world with his fight for freedom. There are plenty of non-smoking pubs for the antis to frequent, all us smokers want is for a percentage of pubs to be smoker friendly ideally 1 in4 as 1 in 4 adults smoke.Nick should have the right to allow smoking in his own pub!!
Good luck to Nick Hogan.
The Anti Smoking Ban is vindictive and based on a load of lies which, sadly, quite a few very gullible people believe and think they have a God given right to dictate to everyone else.
When the Antis resort to meaningless comments and personal abuse, it shows me that they have indeed lost the argument.
Rich, Bolton says...
8:29pm Tue 7 Aug 07
Ray Willis, Birmingham says...
12:57am Wed 8 Aug 07
Chris, UK says...
7:44am Wed 8 Aug 07
Education and encouragement not punishment is the answer yet this law disadvantages many smaller landlocked premises creating a far from level playing field, drives smoking into public view rather than the confines of adult venues and removes any respect for the opinions of a quarter of the population and their many non-smoking friends.
The 'healthists' behind the ban fail to appreciate that life is far more complex than their single hatred of tobacco.
There are plenty of studies that show depression & social isolation to be triggers for a wide range of cancers. Far from saving lives anti-smoking hysteria can be directly linked to premature death in many that their ban will affect. Do they care?
If cost to the NHS is a problem should we ban all amateur sport that in the late 1990s was estimated to cost the Country well over a billion pounds a year?
Tony Blows, Herefordshire says...
9:34am Wed 8 Aug 07
ChrisW1980uk, Chester says...
12:38pm Wed 8 Aug 07
http://www.thebolton
news.co.uk/display.v
ar.1598671.0.0.php
On this paricular discussion he admits to smoking and cultivating cannabis, both against the law.
Tom Thumb, Louisa Street says...
11:10am Thu 9 Aug 07
Have you not noticed how this story has been removed from the main NEWS pages I would ask why?
If you trawl through the news pages this story has been removed.
RagReader, Horwich says...
7:13pm Thu 9 Aug 07
Tom Thumb wrote:Probably because of the boring repetitive comments.
Chris, Have you not noticed how this story has been removed from the main NEWS pages I would ask why? If you trawl through the news pages this story has been removed.
The smoking ban is in place,Mr Hogan is guilty breaking the law, end of story.
Quoting scientific evidence for and against is now pointless.
Barry, Aalborg Denamrk says...
11:44pm Mon 13 Aug 07
Committing some form of disobedience? Oh the horrors.
Hmmm, what does all this remind me of, half a mo' while I think on it...ah yes, Rosa Parks - ever learn about her in your school?
Rosa Parks, in 1955 charged with that heinous unheard-of crime of refusing to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery Alabama - lots of pure, decent, law-obeying citizens wanted her lynched because of that. Tsk tsk!
Her case went before the Supreme Court, I think she won, anyway nothing much came out of it - barring a tiny little thing called the Civil Rights Movement (oh mercy, there's that word rights again).
End of story hmmm?
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Alan, Bolton says...
12:24pm Sun 5 Aug 07
The fact that once again, the Swan was packed out with smokers last night speaks volumes. I wonder why the Council don't attempt to fine all the smokers in the Swan on a friday or saturday night ?????
Laws and regulations are there for the guidance of the intelligent, and the blind obedience of the idiot.