Soho strip club faces closure over alleged spikings and £250K theft

The Vanity Bar on Carlisle Street, Soho, is threatened with closure

A Soho strip club could be forced to close after a series of alleged spikings saw up to 10 victims losing £250,000, a council report says.

One visitor to Vanity Bar and Nightclub in central London's Carlisle Street said he lost more than £19,000 after blacking out when he went to the venue in November.

The bar has been contacted for comment.

A full review of the club is set to take place at a Westminster City Council licensing meeting on 9 January.

According to a police report seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), one victim claimed he had woken up in a street near his home address after visiting the club on 26 November.

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After checking Google Maps, he found he had been at the venue for two hours and then a car wash for almost three hours.

But "the victim does not know how he arrived at these locations or how he has returned home," the report from Met Police PC Steve Muldoon said.

The alleged victim later discovered that four payments worth £3,000 had been taken by the club, putting him in his overdraft.

The Met Police say this is the 10th time they have been contacted about similar incidents inside the venue and as much as £250,000 could have been stolen.

In another police report, one victim claimed he woke up in a brothel after he visited Vanity.

He later found out that £98,000 had been transferred from his accounts.

In light of the alleged incidents, police have asked for the venue to have its licence suspended and Westminster City Council is set to hold the review.

West End councillor Paul Fisher told the LDRS: "If you have an alcohol licence in Westminster, it is imperative that you treat the safety of your consumers as a priority.

"If you do not, you will suffer the consequences. It is absolutely right that this review hearing take place and I support it wholeheartedly."

The council's report on the nightclub did not contain any documents from Vanity but, according to the LDRS, the venue is expected to submit a large amount of evidence.

The BBC contacted Vanity Bar and Nightclub for comment but has not yet received a response.

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