Shepparton’s Victoria Hotel has pleaded guilty to three charges relating to police finding minors on the premise on two occasions.
The Victoria Hotel, aka The Vic, is a well-patronised pub in the town of Shepparton, around 200 kilometres north of Melbourne. It is also known for incorporating Flanagan’s Irish bar.
On 12 April 2024 police were summoned to the popular country venue following a violent incident. Around 2:20am officers were conducting foot patrols in and around the pub when they found two patrons in the gaming lounge whose identification confirmed they were underage.
In the subsequent days the Hotel was issued a penalty notice over the incident.
Late December, just days before Christmas, police were conducting a routine late-night walk-through when they saw a person knock over a drink. The individual was found to have been born in 2007 and was directed to leave the venue.
Officers reviewed CCTV footage from the hotel, finding the 17-year-old had entered just after 1am and used as identification to purchase alcohol a photograph of a Victorian licence, on their phone.
Victoria’s authorities stipulate that a photograph of identification is not considered a valid form of ID.
Representatives of The Vic appeared before Shepparton Magistrate’s Court last week, where they pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from breaches of the liquor and gaming Acts.
The court was told of remedial measures the hotel had taken, with the staff member who accepted the photo of the ID being made to undertake retraining and face disciplinary action, and the installation of new facial recognition technology capable of providing an age estimate of patrons, costing the pub more than $11K.
The Vic is one of 27 Victorian hotels and nightclubs owned by Black Rhino Group, which also counts pubs in South Australia and Queensland.
The group has no prior history of underage breaches, and was fined $7,500, with no conviction recorded.
