When the customer’s partner sent the bar owner a message accusing him of “absolutely awful behaviour”, the landlord replied: “My profound apologies. No excuse, but I’ve [sic] so sorry for doing this to you and your girlfriend. I promise this will not happen again but can I please ask if you won’t take it further. I’m so so sorry.”
Cardiff pub landlord James Karran, whom is also a Baptist minister, faces an investigation after he used the in-house Track and Trace form to find a patrons mobile number and send a “disturbing” text in November.
“Just so you know you’ve got a super pretty face so you’re allowed to not wear a mask at the bar. Everyone else must wear one.”
The Information Commisioner’s Office (ICO) has confirmed a probe into the incident at the Llandaff Road pub, while Welsh Women’s Aid said it will not accept a donation offered by Mr Karran following his “extremely disturbing” conduct.
A Twitter post last week from St Canna’s said it “cannot change the past” but would be “supporting the charity Women’s Aid throughout 2022, including initially donating one whole Saturday night’s takings”.
Wales Online reported:
A spokeswoman for the charity has said: “There has been no contact made by the individual or the establishment in question with ourselves or Cardiff Women’s Aid, who provide front-line support to victims and survivors.
“We consider the reported incident of sexual harassment and the violation of data protection to be extremely disturbing and the public statement that followed disappointing and empty of an apology to the victim. As a result of this, we believe accepting such a donation — if it were to be made — would be inappropriate at this time.”
And an ICO spokeswoman said: “We have been made aware of this incident and we will assess the information provided.”
She added: “People have every right to go out for a meal or have a drink without fear of getting an unwanted call or text from the staff that served them. That is never OK and any complaints we receive will be taken seriously.”
Mr Karran said he will cooperate fully with the ICO investigation and “fully respects” Women’s Aid’s position, adding: “I have admitted I made a serious error of judgement and I have apologised for that mistake.”
The landlord’s actions came to light the day after the text, when the customer’s partner posted on Facebook saying there had been a breach of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
The post read: “She went into this establishment, filled out the Track and Trace without thinking anything of it. She proceeded to order a drink at the bar, but the barman/owner James told her to remove the mask as he couldn’t hear her apparently, but only for this man to see what she looked like.
“Then [he] took her details from the Track and Trace sheet and messaged her illegally. My partner then left the establishment as soon as she had this creepy text from the owner/manager.”
The post sparked heavy criticism of St Canna’s on social media but the pub did not issue a statement on the incident until last Friday (December 10).
The business posted on Twitter: “St Canna’s has always been known as a safe place to be, but recently that reputation has become tarnished. To grow and improve for the future we will be launching a series of positive initiatives aimed at re-establishing our reputation for safety and welcome to all.
“These will include: becoming accredited with the Good Night Out Campaign; implementing a ‘safer spaces’ policy; overhauling our business practices around the management and prevention of Covid; supporting the charity Women’s Aid throughout 2022, including initially donating one whole Saturday night’s takings.
“We cannot change the past but we hope people will see the actions we have taken, and continue to support this small business as it plays its role in the local community.”
The statement prompted a backlash on Twitter, with comments accusing Mr Karran of failing to take responsibility for his actions or issue an apology.
One read: “If your reputation has become ‘tarnished’ it’s because your owner flouted data protection rules to creepily text a girl who left her info on track and trace. Own up to it. Apologise.”
He has told Wales Online: “I am so sorry for what has happened. I have apologised to the individual concerned, and I am sorry for letting down the community of St Canna’s.
“As I said in my post this morning: we cannot change the past. I wish I could. But people will hopefully see the positive steps we are taking. It does not correct what has happened, but we want to make a positive difference to our local community.”
The ICO’s spokeswoman said businesses collecting customers’ personal data need to make sure they have procedures to “handle it securely and safely”.
She added the ICO has a wide range of enforcement powers including “issuing reprimands or warnings to ensure the right policies and practices are in place, conducting audits, as well as issuing fines of up to £17.5 million or four per cent of the total annual global turnover for the most serious and harmful contraventions”.
The partner of the customer who received the message has said they did not wish to comment beyond the social media post which drew attention to the incident.