Disgruntled newlyweds, who were left out of pocket following the sudden closure of Perth’s Lovat Hotel, had the police called on them when they tried to speak to ex-manager Stuart Shearer at his new workplace.
Mr Shearer, who made headlines when he shut down the Glasgow Road venue without warning in January, has landed a new job at the helm of the Wheel Inn pub in Scone. The move has angered staff and trade union officials.
Last year, Shannon Allday and Shaun Campbell put down a deposit of nearly £2,000 for their wedding at the Lovat.
When the hotel closed, they lost their cash and Mr Shearer failed to return their calls or respond to e-mails.
The Dundee couple were forced to fund their wedding at the Mercure Hotel with an emergency online appeal.
Well-wishers raised the £2,000 target just days before the ceremony in February.
On Monday morning — Mr Shearer’s first day in charge at the Wheel Inn — they went to try to speak to him and ask about a refund on their deposit.
However, the couple were escorted off the premises by police and banned from the pub.
“We wanted to ask him what had happened to our money,” said Shannon, 23. “We’d tried talking to him on the phone before, but he never got back to us.
“He told us he was an honest man, but didn’t have any money and couldn’t pay us back.”
She added: “He called the police on us. I couldn’t believe it when I saw two cars turn up with flashing lights.
“The police made him come out and speak to us, but he just said he couldn’t pay us back, it was nothing to do with him.
“And then he banned us from the pub. He said we weren’t welcome there any more.”
Police Scotland confirmed officers were called to the pub, but made no arrests.
Mr Shearer refused to speak to The Courier about the incident. A member of staff said he was too busy to talk.
Mr Shearer will run the venue, under a new company TWI Scone, for new owners Caledonian Heritable.
Unite Scotland said the appointment was concerning. “We hope Caledonian Heritable think twice before going into business with such an unscrupulous employer,” said union spokesman Barry Simpson.
Mr Shearer was criticised for sacking staff at the Lovat Hotel with a terse redundancy letter, before effectively going into hiding.
The Lovat Hotel is being given a makeover by its owners and will re-open under new management this week.
