Ex-UKIP Councillor Convicted For Working as a Bouncer Without a License

Ex-councillor and Senedd candidate Paul Dowson, who joined UKIP, has been convicted of working illegally as a pub doorman.

Dowson was ordered to pay £3,201.50 for working as a ‘bouncer’ without a license at a pub in Tenby. This includes a £500 fine, £2,587.50 costs to the Security Industry Association, and a £114 court surcharge.

Dowson was also made subject to a 12 month community order and ordered to carry out 10 rehabilitation activity days.

At the time he joined UKIP in early 2021 he was earmarked for a significant role in the party’s 2021 Senedd election plans. Leader Neil Hamilton said: “I am delighted to have Paul as an integral part of UKIP’s election campaign. Voters have a choice: more of Drakeford’s Senedd or vote UKIP and scrap it altogether.”

Dowson finished in fifth place in the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire seat with 982 votes and was third on the UKIP list in the Mid and West Wales region when the party came seventh with only 1.6% of the vote.

The former councillor worked as a doorman for the Five Arches pub in Tenby between April 30 and June 4, 2022.

Barrister Eorann O’Connor, prosecuting on behalf of the Security Industry Authority, told Haverfordwest magistrates that despite Dowson’s licence having expired on March 18, 2022, he continued to work as a door supervisor and was paid “cash in hand”.

“The defendant was clearly engaged in manned guarding,” she said. “He started working at the premises towards the end of November 2021. He wore black clothing with ‘Security’ written on his jacket as well as a badge.”

Matthew Perkins, the pub’s landlord, told the court he only became aware that Dowson didn’t hold a licence when he was contacted by a licensing officer in June 2022.

Paul Dowson was convicted for not having a valid license whilst working as a pub doorman.

“I received a phone call from a licensing officer who told me that his licence had expired, and it was the decision of the premises that he should stop working as a door supervisor immediately,” he said.

Mr Perkins confirmed that at the time of the offence Dowson, of Princes Street, Pembroke, was self-employed and was paid in cash.

Dowson denied the charge.

Probation officer Julie Norman stated that at the time of the offence, Dowson was ‘struggling with his finances’.

“His mother had passed away, he was aware that he didn’t have a licence but he needed to live,” she said.

“He now knows that being a doorman won’t be an occupation for him in the future.”

Presiding magistrate Iain Robertson-Steele told Dowson: “This is a significant issue. Door supervisors are there to protect the public. They have a significant duty and are regulated by statutory authority.

“You knew all that, but you knowingly went ahead and continued to work. This is an imprisonable offence, but we’ve decided against that.”

Magistrates were told that Dowson has numerous previous convictions including assault causing actual bodily harm (July 1989); possessing a controlled drug (August and October, 1991); driving whilst disqualified (June 1993); obtaining property by deception (May 1995) and possessing a class B drug (May 2022).

He failed to get re-elected to Pembrokeshire County Council as a member for Pembroke Dock in May 2022, losing to Labour, and three months later was banned from holding public office for three years after a number of serious allegations against him were upheld by the Adjudication Panel for Wales (APW).