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The O2 Academy Venue in Brixton Has License Suspended

O2 Brixton
The O2 Academy BrixtonDrew de F Fawkes, CC BY 2.0
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BRIXTON (CelebrityAccess) – The O2 Academy in Brixton has had its premises license suspended due to a crowd surge on December 15 that resulted in multiple injuries and two deaths.

Rebecca Ikumelo (33), a mother of two from East London and Gabrielle (Gaby) Hutchinson (23), who was working as a security contractor, both lost their lives when during a performance by Nigerian musician Asake, a crowd surge occurred with videos showing throngs of fan pushing to gain entrance to the venue.

The Lambeth Council has imposed a temporary closure until a full review is completed on January 16, 2023. A request from the Metropolitan Police for a Summary License Review prompted the closure. The Licensing Sub-Committee made its decision at a meeting held on December 22.

Cllr Mahamed Hashi, Lambeth’s cabinet member for Safer Communities, said: “A tragic incident has happened in our borough, and we are dealing with its devastating impact on our 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.”

Representatives from the Met Police and the venue also attended the meeting, reports Musicweek.

London’s Metropolitan Police continue investigating the incident and urged anyone with photos or video of the scene to submit it to help the investigation. An online submission page has been set up as part of the investigation.

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