Soho strip club can continue despite claims of ‘drink spiking’ episodes
By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter
A strip club that was forced to shut following a spate of alleged spikings has reopened and now wants to renew its licence.
Sapphire, formerly Vanity Bar and Nightclub, had its licence reinstated after settling the dispute with Westminster City council earlier this year.
The Soho venue agreed to cover all of the council’s legal costs and implement a strict regime of licensing conditions. Sapphire is renewing its Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) licence for 2023 and 2024.
The venue was allowed to continue operating while it appealed against Westminster City’s refusal to renew its licence in 2023.
Sapphire had its licence suspended for three months in 2023. It also had its request for renewal refused. The strip club continued to operate while it appealed the refusal. Now the case has been settled, it still needs retrospective renewals for 2023 and 2024.
The Soho venue agreed to cover all of the council’s legal costs and implement a strict regime of licensing conditions, which it is now seeking to renew.
This includes ensuring no entertainment takes places out of reach of CCTV, restricting performances within certain areas of the Carlisle Street club, and capping the number of customers to 89, an application before the council shows.
Other conditions include ensuring security staff are present on every floor, attaching a “noise limiter” to the musical amplification system, and ensuring no sexual performances take place which involve passing round a glass jar or any container to be filled with money before performers remove any clothing.
A designated member of staff will also be responsible for ensuring pedicab drivers do not congregate near the venue, and that all staff receive training. There is also a ban on two former employees from being involved in Sapphire in any way.
The club is also required to install a device which signals when a private booth is in use and its owners must carry out monthly “dip sampling” checks of CCTV footage.
The council’s licensing team, the Met and residents have objected to the application.
One resident wrote: “The conduct of staff and customers, the disruption and noise, plus the safety concerns have steadily got worse over the years and is now intolerable.”
The Met and the council’s licensing authority said the applicant was unsuitable to hold a Sexual Entertainment Venue licence. In May 2023, Sapphire, then named Vanity, had its licence renewal application refused following a number of alleged spikings and customers claiming £250k had been stolen from them.
At the time, the club’s owner Manpal Clair said he was completely unaware of the issues. An appeal by the applicant was dismissed by Westminster Magistrates Court in March.
The applicant subsequently appealed to the Crown Court but settled before it was heard. According to council documents, the settlement was based on information provided by Sapphire’s owner and “trouble free trade” at the premises for a period of time.
Westminster City council is expected to approve the licence renewal on Thursday.
Pictured top: A customer and performer at the Vanity Bar in November 2022. The nightclub, now Sapphire, had its licence reinstated after being shut down for breaching the terms of its licence (Picture: The Met)
