Brixton Academy's licence suspended following fatal crush

Two people died after a crush outside O2 Brixton Academy last Thursday. Credit: PA

O2 Academy Brixton has had its licence suspended for at least 28 days after two people died following a crush during an Asake show.

The venue will be closed until January 16, after "serious crime and disorder" during the show last Thursday.

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.

Scenes inside the venue were described as "terrifying" as people without tickets tried to force their way into the south London event space.

Security guard Gaby Hutchinson and Rebecca Ikumelo both died from injuries sustained in the incident when ticketless fans stormed the south London venue last Thursday. The venue remains closed.

A 21-year-old woman remains seriously ill in hospital.

Notifications of the review have been posted outside the south London venue.

Photo issued by Metropolitan Police of Gaby Hutchinson - the second person to have died after a crowd crush at the O2 Brixton Academy Credit: Metropolitan Police
'I thought I was going to die': Asake fans tell of chaos outside Brixton concert
Second person dies after being injured in crush at London's Brixton Academy

A summary review allows the police to trigger a fast-track process to review a premises licence where officers consider that the premises are associated with a serious crime or serious disorder.

Interim steps can be taken quickly by authorities, where appropriate, pending a full review.

All events at the venue have been cancelled, including a New Year’s Eve party, until the final review in 28 days. During the council meeting, the Metropolitan Police said there had been a similar crush on 4 February 2020 when concerns were raised about the strength of the doors during a gig by Naira Marley.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”.

The application read: “Many people were crushed by the sheer force of the crowd and many were injured, some seriously.

“As a result of the extremely serious nature of the incident, and the loss of life, a large and complex investigation has begun."The agenda notes read: "The application has been made following an incident which occurred on 15th December 2022 at approximately 21:04 at O2 Brixton Academy 211 Stockwell Road.

"Police were called to the premises in response to reports of serious disorder with a clear threat to public safety.

"During the incident, a crowd forced their way into the venue leading to serious injuries to several individuals, and two individuals have since lost their lives."

Rebecca Ikumelo also tragically died in the Brixton crush incident Credit: Metropolitan Police/PA

Gaby Hutchinson, from Gravesend, was working as one of the contracted security providers for the event that evening. The 23-year-old died in hospital on Monday.

Gaby “protected those they loved fiercely and it was the same with Gaby’s job”, his family said in a tribute reported on BBC's Newsbeat on Wednesday.

“No-one should go to work and not come home," they said.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, died in hospital on Saturday.

Ms Ikumelo’s family paid tribute to the “adorable mother of two” who was a nursing graduate.