O2 Brixton Academy: Security levels in doubt on fatal crush eveningon January 17, 2023 at 6:49 pm

Some security guards at O2 Brixton Academy regularly took bribes to let people in without tickets, a whistleblower has told the BBC.

Two people lost their lives at the south London venue in December, in a crush outside a gig by Afro-pop star Asake.

A security guard has told File on 4 that some members of his team would each allow “a couple of hundred” extra people into venues in exchange for money. Their employer, AP Security, has declined to comment.

“There were people taking money… Some staff made £1,000 cash,” said guard Rohan, not his real name.

“Our company knew what was going on and they knew the people who were doing it,” he told the BBC, “and they did nothing about it.”

Rohan was working on the front doors when the fatal crush happened on 15 December.

He told the BBC there was not enough security on duty that evening at the Brixton Academy – with only 110 members of the security team there, when there should have been 190.

The Academy Music Group (AMG) – which runs the venue – says 158 contracted security staff were on duty.

“It was like being in a car crash that’s been really awful – being crashed on and stamped on,” said Rohan.

Mother of two, Rebecca Ikumelo, 33 – and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23 – were both caught up in the crush and later died in hospital. Rohan said he witnessed what happened to both of them.

Gaby Hutchinson worked for second security company, County Security, as a specialist dog handler. There is no suggestion they were involved in taking bribes or letting people in without tickets.

But Rohan explained how some guards working for his firm – AP Security – had been allowing music fans in without tickets.

“When you let a few people in, they would text their friends, and they’ll text their friends.

“And the bouncers started being greedy, and it got out of hand. And people wanted to come in anyway, without a ticket.

“You can train someone to the max, but when that happens in front of you, you actually stop… you freeze.”

Explaining how bribes were paid, Rohan said someone wanting to get into a gig would speak to security staff by the barriers controlling the queue of people waiting to get in.

“They [some AP Security staff] will tell you a few things, [then you] go round the corner… give them a lot of cash and they will walk you straight in the front door.”

Rohan said taking bribes did not just happen at the Brixton Academy – but a number of venues, stadiums and festivals at which he had worked. The amount of money handed over depended on who was playing.

If you have any personal experience of the issues raised by this investigation, please email the File on 4 team at fileon4@bbc.co.uk

Rohan says at Brixton, his employer AP Security knew what was happening – because he had been in meetings where people had complained about two particular individuals.

The subject of bribes had also been brought up in briefings and in conversations between managers and bouncers – but no-one had been reprimanded.

The BBC has also spoken to someone who got into a gig with a fake ticket at the Brixton Academy the week before the crush.

His account appears to confirm Rohan’s description of there being a coordinated process of paying bribes and gaining access to shows.

Andre said he, his wife and two friends, travelled to Brixton to try to buy legitimate tickets outside the venue to watch the DJ Fred Again – and that he regrets what subsequently happened.

He said he asked a doorman where he would be able to buy a ticket and was told to go across the street to a cash machine, where he would send someone to sell them a ticket.

After some haggling, and despite not trusting the tout, Andre handed over cash and was sent tickets on WhatsApp.

Andre said his group were then told to go to a specific security guard outside the venue.

“As soon as we got there, our tickets got scanned really, really, fast I would say fake scanned and the person just let us in.

“The person had the device that scans tickets and just used the flashlight on it, not the laser scan.

“It felt really organised and it felt that we weren’t the only people that got in that way.”

Andre said it was clear others were doing the same as them – and that the venue was absolutely packed.

“There was absolutely no space whatsoever to move around.”

Andre told the BBC he would have never have paid any money had he known the tickets were duplicates.

Listen to File on 4 on BBC Sounds – or on BBC Radio 4 at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday 17 January.

On Monday, Lambeth Council agreed to suspend the O2 Brixton Academy’s licence for three more months until 16 April.

Academy Music Group had already agreed it would stay closed.

In a recent statement the company said: “O2 Academy Brixton recognises the gravity of the events which occurred on the night of 15 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.”

AMG also said it was committed to understanding what happened and was “providing full cooperation to the police”.

The day after the crush in December, AP Security’s director of operational management, James Hooker, said: “We are working with our lawyers, the operators of the premises and the authorities to provide all information that is needed.

“We will continue to work with all parties and are unable to provide any information at this time while those inquiries are completed.”

Additional reporting by Melanie Stewart-Smith