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O2 Academy Brixton licence suspended

The temporary closure has been imposed by Lambeth Council following the incident at the venue that resulted in two people losing their lives

By James Hanley on 22 Dec 2022

O2 Academy Brixton is part of the Academy Music Group

O2 Academy Brixton


London’s O2 Academy Brixton had its premises licence suspended following the crowd surge at the venue that resulted in two people losing their lives.

The temporary closure, imposed by Lambeth Council, will apply until 16 January when a full review will take place. It follows the 15 December show by Afrobeats singer/songwriter Asake, which was abandoned following reports that a large number of people were attempting to force entry to the 4,921-cap venue.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, of Newham, passed away in hospital on 17 December, while 23-year-old Gaby Hutchinson, who was working as a contracted security provider for the event, died in the early hours of 19 December.

“A tragic incident has happened in our borough and we are dealing with its devastating impact on our communities”

“A tragic incident has happened in our borough and we are dealing with its devastating impact on our communities,” ays Cllr Mahamed Hashi, Lambeth’s cabinet member for safer communities. “Our thoughts are with those who have suffered, especially the families and friends of Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson who have tragically lost their lives.

“I wish to thank my colleagues on the sub-committee for their careful and rigorous work in looking at this issue at this first stage of the process. We will now continue with our work to reassure our communities about safety at the venue, get the answers needed about how this happened and support the Met police investigations into these tragic events.”

Lambeth Council’s licensing Sub-Committee took the decision at a meeting on Wednesday (21 December) after the Metropolitan Police submitted an application for a summary license review the previous day. Representatives of the venue and the police attended and made representations at the meeting.

A separate criminal investigation is also being carried out by detectives reviewing CCTV, phone footage, speaking to witnesses and carrying out forensic examinations.

Planned concerts at O2 Academy Brixton by 2ManyDJs (15 December), Pusha T (19 December) and DnB Allstars presents New Year’s Eve show (31 December) had already been postponed in the wake of the tragedy.

A social media post by venue operator Academy Music Group earlier in the week says it is “devastated by this tragic situation and are fully supporting the ongoing investigation”.

 


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