Staff at a Sydney CBD restaurant dumped two unconscious female patrons on the street after letting them drink 16 shots of spirits within 40 minutes.
Gangnam Station Korean restaurant in Sussex St is facing a range of sanctions due to the incident, described by the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority as one of the worst breaches of liquor laws in NSW in recent years.
In evidence detailed in a police report, three women entered the restaurant at 7.55pm on November 9 last year and ordered shots of soju.
After each patron drank their eighth shot at around 8.35pm, two collapsed forward and became unconscious.
Staff and other patrons carried the two women out of the restaurant and dumped them on the footpath. One of the women vomited while being carried.
Police patrolling nearby noticed people gathered around the unconscious women and called an ambulance that took them to hospital.
The Authority has imposed a “first strike” on the restaurant’s licensee, Sunhwa Kim, under the NSW Government’s Three Strikes disciplinary scheme.
Licensees with strikes face a range of remedial action and those incurring three strikes can have their licences suspended or be permanently banned from the industry.
The Authority is also proposing to reduce Gangnam Station’s closing time from 2am to midnight and require it to have a security guard trained in the responsible service of alcohol on the premises from 8pm each night.
NSW Police has fined the restaurant $2200 for permitting intoxication, and Liquor & Gaming NSW is considering taking further action.
Director of Compliance Operations Sean Goodchild said the venue’s actions showed a blatant disregard for the health and safety of patrons and responsible service of alcohol requirements.
“It’s hard to imagine a worse case of a venue failing in its obligations to prevent misuse and abuse of alcohol,” Goodchild said.
A bar manager, who did not want to be named, told The Daily Telegraph staff “were very surprised” when the women “suddenly” started collapsing.
“We now have more training,” he said. “It was after the last drink they suddenly fall back. Staff very surprised. We think they would go home with friend.
“Outside they sit down and lie down. Normally we would call taxi or ambulance.”
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