Heaven nightclub is the biggest crime generator in the county

Popular London nightclub Heaven, which resulted in the venue’s closure, was the biggest generator of crime in Westminster, police representatives told the meeting.

Westminster Council Suspended the club’s license for 28 days on FridayFollowing a report that a security guard working at the venue raped a woman on November 1.

The Met Police, who applied for a license suspension, confirmed that a man had been arrested, charged with rape and was being held in prison.

At the first hearing on Friday, Heaven’s owner said closing the venue for 28 days would mean the club would “not survive”.

A spokesman for the Met Police told Westminster’s licensing sub-committee: “This nightclub… is the highest crime-producing venue in the borough based on the number of incidents reported to the police.

“There have been 16 reports to the police in the last six months in terms of sexual assaults.”

He said a total of 109 crimes had been reported to the Met Police in the last six months in relation to the nightclub.

Jeremy Joseph, owner of the club, based in Villiers Street, told the meeting that the reason why it had the highest crime rate was because “we are told we have to report absolutely everything”.

“We are the Largest Venue” in Westminster, stating that the club has a total capacity of 1,725 ​​people.

The Met Police noted that all venues were told to “report absolutely everything”.

Mr Joseph also told the committee that “Paradise will not survive” a 28-day license suspension.

“Heaven is struggling to survive right now,” he said.

“I have a responsibility to the 80-plus staff we employ and if you close us down they will be out of a job.”

He said the club’s landlord tried to do this. increase his rent by £320.00 per year and added that per capita spending by club members has fallen during the cost of living crisis.

“Heaven has been my life for over 30 years and since Covid all I have done is fight to survive,” Mr Joseph added.

The hearing was told that when the woman tried to report the assault, other staff ignored her.

A council spokesman said the license suspension was “necessary to prevent serious crime and protect the public”.

“A full licensing hearing will be held in December where both the police and venue management will have the opportunity to present new evidence,” they said.

“This case is currently the subject of an ongoing police investigation and we cannot comment further at this stage.”

The owner of heaven has been reached for comment.