Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics show that 16 assaults inside the hotel – not on the footpath outside – were investigated by police between January and September last year. Imperial publican Matthew Zell declined to comment on the figures when contacted by The Leader yesterday.

“Thank you for the

exposure,” he told our reporter before terminating the conversation.

The bureau’s statistics revealed Rouse Hill’s aptly named Mean Fiddler – a recent hotel of the year winner – as the most violent pub in the State.

A total of 51 assaults took place in the hotel from January to September 2007.

Dubbo’s Commercial Hotel, once an upscale hotel patronised by the city’s professionals and visiting farmers in the 1980s, is now the most violent country pub in NSW. It recorded 38 assaults on the premises.

Orange’s Standard Hotel was the second most violent country pub with 28 assaults and Bathurst’s Oxley Tavern came in third with 23 assaults.

Albury had two entries in the fourth most violent ranking – the Roi Bar Hotel and the Bended Elbow with 17 assaults apiece.

Also in joint fourth place was Wagga Wagga’s Capital Nightclub.

Further down the list in shared eighth place with 14 assaults were the Cessnock Hotel, Maitland’s Clubhouse Hotel, the Coffs Harbour Hotel and Queanbeyan’s Royal Hotel.

Twelfth spot went to Wagga’s Victoria Hotel with 12 assaults.

The 13th spot was shared by Armidale’s New England Hotel, Griffith’s Area Hotel, Nyngan’s Cannonbar, Byron Bay’s Cheeky Monkey, Bathurst’s Edinbro Castle, Lismore’s Mary Gilhooleys, Grafton’s Post Office Hotel, the Royal at Yass, the Terrigal Hotel, Albury’s Three Legged Dog, Erina’s Woodport Inn and the Wyong Leagues Club – all with 11 assaults.

Bureau director Don Weatherburn said that because the figures were only for assaults inside hotels they would grossly under report the actual number of assaults.

“These would be the most serious assaults - the tip of the ice berg,” he told Fairfax Media.