A pub is facing a review of its licence following concerns the landlord has failed to report violent assaults and it has become associated with “serious crime”.

Kent Police have requested the removal of the designated premises supervisor (DPS) of the Woodland Tavern, formerly The Canterbury Tales, in Gillingham.

In a report to Medway Council’s joint licencing committee with Gravesham Council, the force says two assaults went unreported at the venue in Canterbury Street, including one in which a customer was allegedly punched by a staff member after clapping to get their attention.

Police allege attempts to investigate the incidents have been prevented by the landlord who has failed to keep CCTV recordings and ignored emails and letters, they say.

As well as calling for publican Lee Gaul’s removal, PC Andre Smuts also asked for the pub’s licence to be updated to include new conditions around staff training, retention of CCTV recordings for 31 days, and reporting of all incidents or crime and disorder to the force.

The report alleges a customer at Woodland Tavern was punched in the face by a member of staff, the partner of the manager on March 8.

The victim fell to the floor and the staff member then kicked and punched them, rendering them unconscious.

The incident was allegedly caused by the worker taking exception to a customer clapping their hands to gain the bar staff’s attention.

Police were not called, the report says, nor was the incident later reported to officers, who when they tried to obtain a CCTV recording of it on May 1 were allegedly told by Mr Gaul it had been automatically wiped after 30 days.

According to the force, when they discussed what measures would be put in place to prevent another assault, Mr Gaul said the staff member in question no longer worked at the pub as he had broken up with the manager.

Police say the man shouldn’t be allowed back in the venue, however the report says Mr Gaul said he couldn’t prevent who his manager is in a relationship with, and if the two were to get back together he could do nothing about it.

A second incident detailed in the licence review request involved one customer allegedly headbutting another, which also went unreported by the pub.

When police requested CCTV footage from the landlord they say he did not respond and when they followed up in person they were told the video had been deleted after eight days.

The manager had recorded footage on her phone but the quality was too poor to be used as evidence.

The report also mentions that at this meeting, the manager mentioned off-hand she was getting back together with the staff member who had allegedly assaulted the customer on March 8.

Following this, police tried to contact Mr Gaul via email and two signed-for letters to his home address and to the pub, but received no response to any of them, despite asking for the correspondence to be acknowledged.

Now, Kent Police have filed a request for Mr Gaul to be removed as the DPS because they say he has shown contempt for the licencing objectives and has ignored all attempts to come to an agreement.

The force alleges he has not been concerned about alleged violent suspects working at his premises, and has not been prepared to act to limit risk of harm to the public when requested to, and so it is not appropriate he continue to hold his role at the tavern.

Mr Gaul is listed the director of Gaul Pubs Ltd and holds the position of DPS at up to 11 premises, but Kent Police is only asking for his removal at the Woodland Tavern.

The landlord has not responded to several requests for comment from the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The request to review the pub’s licence and order his removal will be considered by Medway councillors at a yet to be scheduled licencing hearing panel.