A sports bar and club in Reading is set for a comeback after a stabbing incident that left a holidaymaker severely injured.
The Walkabout sports bar in the town centre is tucked away in Wiston Terrace.
For years, it served as a place for revellers to drink, eat, watch sports games and go clubbing.
But the bar became the site of a serious incident when former soldier Krisma Anthony stabbed holidaymaker Tharel Thompson on the side of his head.
Mr Thompson, who was visiting Reading from Barbados, was left with a life-changing head injury, requiring him to wear protective headgear and having limited mobility on his left side.
Anthony, from the Caribbean island of St Lucia, was jailed for 27 years on an attempted murder charge on August 21, 2024.
Jahlil Charles, a co-defendant, was acquitted of attempted murder and possession of a knife.
Walkabout was temporarily closed following the stabbing, reopening in March 2024.
It stayed open for more than a year before being permanently closed on October 1.
The venue is now set to reopen following a successful application for alcohol sales and entertainment to Reading Borough Council.
Stonegate, the company that owns the Walkabout brand, has permission for alcohol sales, live music and entertainment, and late-night refreshment until 1am Monday to Thursday, 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, and 12.30am on Sundays.
Alcohol sales can begin at 8am each day according to the application, with entertainment allowed to begin at 11am.
The application was granted by the council’s licensing department following the closure of a statutory consultation on Tuesday, December 23, with no objections being received.
It is unclear whether the bar will keep the Walkabout name or be rebranded.
There has been speculation that Stonegate will be reopening the bar under one of its other brands on the r/reading Reddit forum.
The company also owns the Be at One, Slug & Lettuce and Yates chains.
Stonegate has been asked what the situation is with the venue and whether it will be rebranded.
Walkabout is still listed as ‘permanently closed’ on Google, with the closure date being reported by The Mirror Online.
The last rebrand Stonegate undertook in Reading was turning Yates into Slug & Lettuce in May 2022.
Yates was temporarily closed in January 2020 following a mass brawl on New Year’s Day of that year.
The rebrand created the second Slug & Lettuce in Reading, with the first at The Oracle Riverside being open for more than 10 years.
Renovations in Romford, Cardiff and Torquay have seen Yates bars converted into Craft Union pubs, a brand also owned by Stonegate.
