Brixton Academy Temporarily SHUT After Asake Concert Tragedy

Category: Entertainment News

 

The O2 Academy Brixton has had its license temporarily suspended after two people died in a crowd crush at the venue – as a council meeting heard a similar crush took place at the venue two years ago.

Security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33 were badly hurt when fans without tickets tried to get into a show by Nigerian artist Asake at the south London venue on December 15. A 21-year-old woman remains seriously ill in hospital.

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Today, Lambeth Council’s licensing sub-committee decided to force the site to close until a further meeting on January 16 next year. The O2 Academy Brixton offered a voluntary closure until that date. 

The meeting was called following an application by the Metropolitan Police, who said the licence should be suspended immediately to ‘protect the public’. During the council meeting, the Met said there had been another crush on February 4, 2020 during a concert by Naira Marley, another Afrobeats singer.

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Announcing the sub-committee’s decision, Cllr Fred Cowell said: ‘The sub-committee accepts the licence-holder’s offer to voluntarily close has been made in good faith.

‘They have already cancelled a New Year’s Eve event and will cancel other events between now and January 16, 2023.

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‘However, counsel for the licence-holder… accepted that a voluntary undertaking by his client is not enforceable in law were it to be breached.

‘The sub-committee’s focus today is on measures necessary to prevent serious crime or serious disorder or both at the venue.

‘The sub-committee is aware that investigations are at an early stage and the facts that led up to the fatal incident are not entirely clear.

‘However, in the view of the licensing sub-committee, given the severity of events of December 15 2022, the risks to public safety as a consequence of, in particular, serious disorder rising from a lack of crowd control at the front doors of the venue remain high if the venue were able to operate as before.’

In their application to have the licence suspended, police said it was apparent ‘security staff had completely lost control of the situation with regards to crowd control’.

It comes as the family of Gaby Hutchinson paid tribute to their ‘selfless’ relative.

The 23-year-old, from Gravesend in Kent, died in hospital on Monday from injuries sustained in the incident.

Gaby Hutchinson was one of three people badly hurt in the crush and the second person to die.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, died in hospital on Saturday and a 21-year-old woman remains seriously ill in hospital.