Cody Fisher’s mum speaks out amid Birmingham premises’ new licence bid for live music and sale of alcohol

The heartbroken mum of a young footballer has spoken out following a bid for a new licence at the premises where her son was killed.

Former Birmingham City FC academy footballer Cody Fisher, who also played for Bromsgrove Sporting and Stratford Town, was stabbed to death at the Crane nightclub in Digbeth on Boxing Day 2022.

Following the incident, the club’s premises licence was suspended as an interim step and then later revoked.

But Matthew Boulter, of Kanvas Birmingham Limited, has recently applied for a new licence at the premises, which is found at 50 Adderley Street in Digbeth in Birmingham.

The application seeks to permit the sale of alcohol from 10am until midnight Monday to Sunday and the provision of ‘regulated entertainment’, such as live music.

However Callum Trevers, a solicitor attending a licensing meeting on behalf of Cody Fisher’s mother Tracey, said the devastated mum opposed the premises reopening as an event space.

“Cody was stabbed to death on the premises and his life was taken incredibly cruelly when he was only 23 years of age,” he said. “Since that day, our client feels her own life has ended, as though she was stabbed through her heart on that fateful night.

“Her youngest son and her best friend has never come home.”

He continued at the meeting on May 7: “It is our client’s view that 50 Adderley Street should never be allowed to reopen as an event space.

“One life lost is one too many and no family should ever have to go through what our client and her family have been through.”

Police objection

West Midlands Police has also spoken out against the new application over concerns it could be linked to the previous owners.

A representation, submitted on behalf of the chief constable, objected to the application “due to concerns around the promotion of crime and disorder and public safety licensing objectives”.

“The venue previously operated as The Crane nightclub where a young man, Cody Fisher, lost his life on Boxing Day 2022 after being stabbed to death inside the venue,” it said.

“West Midlands Police believe the application now being made is linked to the previous owners and is not a completely new and detached operator looking to reopen the venue.”

It went on to say that an appeal by licence holder Digital Arts Media Ltd against the previous decision to revoke the licence is “still months away from being resolved”.

“This application, if granted, could mean that 50 Adderley Street could be trading well before the appeal is heard and determined by the appeal court,” it said.

“The council ought not to endorse the current attempt to bypass the earlier decision of the council to revoke the licence and deprive the appeal court of the opportunity to consider and determine the current appeal.”

Gary Grant, barrister for West Midlands Police, told the meeting: “There are few licensing applications as sensitive as the one before you today.

“This premises hosted an event when a man lost his life.

“That was a well-known case, it achieved national attention given the horror of the event.”

Police said that last year there was an approach about a new licence with the applicant company being Kanvas Holdings Ltd, which listed its sole director as Matthew Boulter – the businessman behind the application considered this week.

A meeting about the application was attended by a separate individual who stated he would be applying as a contractor/advisor – but it later emerged he was reportedly a shareholder in Digital Arts Media Ltd, according to police.

“The new application was clearly linked to the current ownership of The Crane and was not in fact a new operator,” West Midlands Police said.

Towards the end of 2024, solicitors indicated that this individual was no longer part of the proposals.

A new application has since been submitted in the name of Kanvas Birmingham Ltd, which lists Matthew Boulter as its sole director.

But Mr Grant told the meeting today: “We, the police, having met with Mr Boulter and having considered the previous approaches about a new licence for this premises, […] are not satisfied, we’re not persuaded that there is no connection between the old and the new.”

‘Independent of previous ownership’

Paddy Whur, a licensing solicitor representing the applicant, said Matthew Boulter made a “schoolboy error” in asking the individual to “front up” the meeting with the police for him.

He also insisted there would be a team in place at the premises that’s “well thought out, resourced and independent of the previous ownership”.

“If you granted this licence, there wouldn’t be a more robust conditioned licence in Birmingham,” he continued.

“That, in conjunction with the reduced hours, we would suggest makes you look at an application which is significantly away from the premises licence that failed previously under the very different ownership.”

Mr Whur added: “We now have a very different company – none of the previous people involved in the management of the premises will be involved.

“We’ll be more than happy to have that conditioned on the licence.

“It’s a situation where it’s a brand new company, brand new individual.”

Applicant Matthew Boulter also told the meeting: “There’s a lot of history with the premises, which is going to be bad for a lot of people – I understand that.

“I really feel for the victims.

“Now the structure I’m trying to put together is to run it as humanly safely as possible.”

He also spoke about the potential the premises has, saying it would be “so good for Digbeth if we get it right”.

The parties involved will be notified of the licensing sub committee’s decision within five working days.