Nightclub forced to shut in aftermath of alleged murder

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

The Clapham venue at the centre of a murder investigation has been shut down after Lambeth council said it had ‘lost confidence’ in the management of the Dirty Blonde Club.

Dontae McLaren, 24, was stabbed to death in a fight outside the club in Wandsworth Road in September.

The club was ordered to temporarily close earlier in October by the council after the Met said it had concerns further violence could occur if the venue remained open.

Dynzell Patrick, 26, was charged with the murder of Mr McLaren on October 3. He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on December 23.

Tyanne Corbin, 25, and Hamid Hamdi, 25, appeared at the Old Bailey on October 14 charged with causing Mr McLaren grievous bodily harm with intent, and violent disorder. They are due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on November 6.

A 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and causing grievous bodily harm is currently on bail.

The Met, which requested the review of the Dirty Blonde Club’s licence, said it was worried that the club’s management was not up to scratch.

In documents submitted to the council, the Met wrote: “Police currently have concerns about how this venue is being run, as knives have been spotted inside the venue despite being informed that there is a robust search regime in place, and there is also a lack of CCTV.”

Announcing the decision to revoke the club’s licence on Friday, councillor Adrian Garden, chairman of the licensing hearing, said: “Members determined there was sufficient evidence to show breaches of the current licence, which indicated that the premises were being operated in a way that undermined the licensing objectives.

“Unfortunately members were not satisfied that, going forward, the premises licence holder could be trusted to operate the premises consistently with the licensing objectives. Members were not satisfied that the other less onerous steps available to them would likely achieve this end objective. Therefore revocation is the only appropriate option.”

Dirty Blonde Club previously opened until 4.30am at weekends and until 2.30 am on week days. The licensing committee heard all evidence in private, due to the ongoing criminal investigation into the murder of Mr McLaren.

Pictured top: The Dirty Blonde club (Picture: Google Street View)