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London club Heaven closed after guard accused of rape – News

Posted on by Pranco
London club Heaven closed after guard accused of rape – News

WARNING: This article contains stories of sexual violence that may be disturbing to some readers.

London’s Heaven nightclub has been closed after one of its security staff was accused of rape.

The historic site’s permit has been suspended for up to 28 days after a member of security staff was accused of rape. He is currently in pre-trial detention, police said The Guardian.

Police have successfully applied to Westminster Council to suspend the nightclub’s license pending a full hearing. The licensing board heard that a woman was allegedly raped near the site in the early hours of November 1, and other staff then allegedly ignored her attempts to report the attack.

“Following a request from the Metropolitan Police and taking into account evidence from both the police and the operator, the council’s licensing committee has decided to suspend Heaven’s license for 28 days,” a Westminster Council spokesperson said.

The spokesperson continued: “This follows a report of an alleged rape to police on Friday 1 November.

“A full licensing hearing will take place in December, where both police and site management will have the opportunity to present new evidence. This matter is currently the subject of an ongoing police investigation and we are unable to comment further at this stage.”

Sky owner Jeremy Joseph wrote in a statement on Instagram that the venue is “sickened” by the allegation, adding that they cannot comment further due to the ongoing criminal investigation.

“Our priority is to put in place new procedures to ensure something like this cannot happen again and to earn the trust of the Council as we move forward,” he concluded.

Read the full statement from the Metropolitan Police below:

(Via the Guardian)

Niamh Ingram is Mixmag’s weekend editor