Owner of Ringwood restaurant The Indian Tree, Adib Bachhu, denies wrongdoing after having licence revoked

A RINGWOOD restaurant owner who had his alcohol licence revoked says he did “nothing wrong” despite 14 staff having been arrested for working illegally.

Adib Bachhu who owns The Indian Tree, Market Place, flouted the immigration rules for a "sustained period of time” according to the NFDC licensing sub-committee which said he also had a “pattern of unacceptable behaviour”.

It had heard how companies owned by Mr Bachhu had been fined a total of £175,000 for the immigration offences – but only £2,000 of it had been paid.

But speaking to the A&T Mr Bachhu claimed: “I am not responsible for the fines. They were given when I was sub-letting the restaurant to other people. The way it looks is not the way it is.”

The last arrest was made in January when the restaurant was raided by police and Home Office immigration officers acting on a tip-off.

Mr Bachhu said that the worker involved had been employed for only three days, adding: “He was an asylum seeker and gave me his documents which I tried to check.

"There was a phone number on there to ring to do so, but I was holding on for two hours when I tried without anyone answering.

“I was going to find another way of checking them but he was arrested before I could do so.”

The licensing sub-committee said Mr Bachhu had a “serious disregard as a premises licence holder” after hearing that no staff records were found at the restaurant and no evidence that a Challenge 25 policy – which asks people who look under 25 to provide ID to buy alcohol – existed there.

But Mr Bachhu said he did keep proper records.

He said: “This has all been too much for me. I wanted to fight the allegations, but I could not afford thousands for legal advice.

“A lot of what was said at the meeting was wrong. On the night of the raid, my manager was very nervous and did some things wrong but he was under pressure.

"We do have staff records but because he was so nervous, he could not find them.

“They also said that I did not have records of Challenge 25 but we have never had to refuse anyone in 25 years. This is fine dining, middle-aged people come her and spend £80 on a meal. We do not have youngsters here, they go to the pub.”

“I am very sad at what has happened, but we will keep going. The restaurant will now be 'bring your own alcohol'.”