Heaven given the all-clear to open its doors again

Heaven nightclub has been given the greenlight to reopen after being shut by the Met following an alleged rape.

Westminster City council said the club – based in the arches under Charing Cross Station – could reopen immediately after imposing a raft of new measures including reducing last entry to 3am, a ban on queue drinking and revamping security and welfare arrangements.

Licensing committee chair, councillor Maggie Carman, who led Friday’s hearing, said there was “clear evidence” the venue’s management had improved safeguards since the alleged incident in November.

Capping a six-and-a-half hour hearing, she said: “The conditions agreed between the Metropolitan Police Service and the premises licence holder provides a turning point for a venue which provides an important service to everyone, in particular the LGBTQIA+ community”.

Gary Grant, representing the Met Police, said the force was “unapologetic” for seeking the temporary closure but were now confident the new measures would improve customer safety. He also praised the club’s management for engaging with police.

He said: “The police recognise the importance of Heaven to the gay community in London and further afield. The police have never sought the permanent closure of this nightclub.

“What the police have done, unapologetically, is sought to ensure the sort of incidents that led us here will not happen again and the risks to the vulnerable people in that queue are reduced.”

Phillip Kolvin KC, representing Heaven, said staff and management were appalled by what occurred and have fully cooperated with police. He said: “Heaven’s heart goes out to the victim of this [alleged] offence. What [reportedly] happened to her goes contrary to absolutely everything Heaven stands for.”

Councillors also heard from the club’s supporters, including a young gay student called Dan, who described himself as a regular at the venue. He said: “Heaven is more than a nightclub. For so many people in London, it’s a place where individuals, including me, and all walks of life, can come together in a safe, supportive and celebratory environment.” He described the nightclub as a “lifeline” of world-wide recognition.

The committee also heard how a petition opposing the reopening, which gathered 2,153 signatures, may have been created using Artificial Intelligence. In evidence submitted to the committee, the venue said there were “innumerable examples” of identical names.

The decision comes after Heaven nightclub lost its fight to overturn an interim suspension last month. Heaven had its licence revoked after police launched an investigation into an alleged rape which took place outside the venue.

The alleged victim and her friends reportedly queued for two hours to enter the iconic nightclub on the night of November 1 but were refused entry because they were ‘too intoxicated’, said the Met Police.

It’s claimed that while asking another member of staff to be let in to get her friends already inside the club, she was approached by the suspect, who has since been named as Morenikeji Adewole, of Dunlop Close, Dartford, who reportedly then raped her.

The alleged victim returned to the nightclub to tell another member of staff what had happened but was told she was too drunk and to return the next day to report what had happened, it is claimed. The staff member had not contacted police and ‘there has been no safeguarding of a very vulnerable victim’, said the report.

The victim then left the venue with her friends and reported the incident to police the next day, the hearing was told. Enquiries by detectives led to Adewole being charged with rape.

The man, who is also known as Olu Julius or Olusolu Alabi, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 14. The 47-year-old has since been remanded in custody and will appear at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.

The Met Police report also mentioned another incident which took place on May 7 of this year, in which members of Heaven’s security team were allegedly filmed assaulting a customer in the street.

Pictured top: The famous nightclub (Picture: Google Street View)