Brixton concert crush venue to remain closed for three months

Two people died following the incident at the Brixton O2 Academy on 15 December

The Brixton O2 Academy is to remain closed for a further three months after two people died following a crush during a concert at the London venue.

Afro-pop singer Asake's gig was cut short when a large number of people tried to enter the foyer of the building on 15 December last year.

Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson were fatally injured in the incident.

Academy Music Group (AMG), which runs the venue, said it would stay closed while several investigations continue.

Gaby Hutchinson died in hospital in the early hours of 19 December

The venue's licence had previously been suspended by Lambeth Council until 16 January.

The authority's licensing sub-committee is due to meet on Monday to decide on the future of the venue.

It is understood the council was likely to extend the licence suspension for a further three months.

The Met Police, which is leading the investigation into the incident, said it was going use the meeting to call for the continued suspension of the premises licence.

The force said it would "allow time to work with the venue to facilitate a safe reopening".

Ahead of the meeting AMG said it had "reflected deeply" and come to its own decision to remain closed.

A spokesperson said: "O2 Academy Brixton recognises the gravity of the events which occurred on the night of 15th December 2022 and expresses its sincere condolences to the families of those who died during the tragic incident and its genuine concerns for anyone affected by it.

"The licence holder (AMG) is committed to understanding what happened and co-operating with the various investigations that are under way including providing full cooperation to the police in the conduct of their inquiries."

Rebecca Ikumelo died in hospital two days after the crush

Several people were taken to hospital after being injured during the concert.

Mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Newham, east London, died two days after the incident, while Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died on 19 December. They were both in the foyer of the building when they were injured.

Videos on social media showed the crowd stretching from the road outside to the venue's doors, one of which was smashed.

• What happened at the Brixton Academy crush?

Asake, who had urged fans without tickets not to turn up at the venue before his first Brixton concert, released a statement following Ms Ikumelo's death in which he said he was "devastated".

"I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening," he wrote.

Representatives from the police, Lambeth Council and AMG are due to speak at the licensing meeting on Monday, when a full review of the site's licence will be carried out.

Lambeth Council has the power to further suspend or even permanently revoke the venue's licence.

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