The license for a London concert venue has been temporarily suspended following the deaths of two individuals in a stampede.
On December 15, attendees trying to enter a performance by Nigerian artist Asake at the O2 Academy Brixton without tickets caused serious injuries to security guards Gaby Hutchinson (23) and Rebecca Ikumelo (33).
A 21-year-old patient in the hospital is still gravely unwell.
The licensing subcommittee of Lambeth Council resolved on Thursday to require the site to close until a subsequent meeting on January 16 of the following year.
Before the meeting, the O2 Academy Brixton offered a voluntary closure up until that time.
Cllr. Fred Cowell announced the subcommittee’s choice as follows: “The sub-committee accepts the licence-holder’s offer to voluntarily close has been made in good faith.
“They have already canceled a New Year’s Eve event and will cancel other events between now and January 16th, 2023.
“However, counsel for the license-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 arising from a lack of crowd control at the front doors of the venue remain high if the venue were able to operate as before.”
The decision, according to Cllr. Cowell, shouldn’t be interpreted as a prediction of the subcommittee’s conclusions at its subsequent meeting in January to
