Social club official barred

Derek Bates, who was cautioned by Cleveland Police following an incident in the committee room at the Low Grange Social Club, Billingham, is on official suspension and is not allowed to enter the premises.

A special disciplinary meeting of the committee has been called for Tuesday and will decide whether the 65-year-old is allowed back into the club, which has 2,000 members, or is permanently barred from the premises where he has officiated for 14 years.

This follows an internal inquiry supervised by the Club and Institute Union.

Acting club secretary George Holmes said: "Under disciplinary procedures, if you misdemean to a certain state you are asked to leave the club and not come back until a disciplinary meeting is arranged.

"The rules clearly state that for any member and Mr Bates, although he is secretary, is still a member of the club."

"Mr Bates has been charged by the club with assault on a member and this will be dealt with on Tuesday at a disciplinary hearing.

"It will be dealt with in the normal manner and within the disciplinary procedures. He has been asked to attend. Evidence from both sides will be heard and discussed and a conclusion come to."

But Mr Bates said he is the victim of "a vendetta".

"It's unbelievable what is happening. I have put my life into that club. The club comes first for me. I have spent hours and hours there.''

When Mr Bates was shown the club door he took with him the password needed to get into the computer program to pay the staff's wages.

Mr Holmes said: "We have been paying the staff to within a couple of pounds the money they would normally get.

"They have not received their wages slips because we cannot access the pay system until we get the password.''

Despite being suspended from the club, Mr Bates put his name to a list of 35 members calling for an extraordinary meeting of the membership tomorrow, but the meeting has been ruled out of order by the committee over procedural problems.