Nightclub could be closed after large gun fight

A west London nightclub could lose its licence after a gun battle erupted at the exact moment a health and safety officer was visiting to investigate crime and disorder claims.

David Nevitte says he had to crouch behind a car while shots were fired outside Ricco Lounge, in Kensington, on 13 October.

He had been hired by the local licensing authority, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), following safety concerns about the venue.

The Met Police has called on the council to close the club permanently. The venue's owner said that many of the Met's claims were inaccurate.

Mr Nevitte has described how he was caught up in what is believed to have been a gun battle between rival groups, as he watched customers arrive at and leave the venue in the early hours.

The Met Police said it was investigating after a fight led to "the discharge of multiple firearms by multiple people".

Shots were fired across the road in both directions while onlookers tried to get out of the way, the force said.

No-one was injured but several bullet casings were found in the area.

One person has since been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and violent disorder.

The Met Police says on the night of the incident, a taxi driver told the club's staff a customer had been seen with a gun but that they did not call the police, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The force said this, as well as mismanagement of the club, "poor and inadequate searches", and a "failure to identify obvious risks", resulted in the fight.

In a report to the licensing committee, the Met said security guards at the club allowed customers in without searching them, others were allowed in without proper ID checks and at least one customer showed ID belonging to another person.

Although a private party was being held at the club, there was no guest list.

Police said it had taken managers as long as four days to inform police that one customer had been found to be carrying a gun.

“This lack of action is both shocking and completely unacceptable. A call to police would have prevented the subsequent shooting, which was only 90 minutes away from occurring.

“The incident that took place outside Ricco Lounge on the 13 October 2024 was incredibly serious and this cannot be understated."

The force claims the club is mismanaged and associated with "serious crime and serious disorder", according to the report.

The venue has voluntarily closed since the incident.

Its owner, Chelsea Event & Entertainment Ltd, said the police report contained "a vast array of factual inaccuracies" and that it would not comment further until after a licensing meeting set to take place on Monday.

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