Oceana Kingston has licence revoked

Luminar, the nightclub operator, has said it will consider its options for its Oceana club in Kingston after the decision to revoke its licence following a fatal stabbing inside.

The venue had its licence suspended last month after the incident in the early hours of 25 October which resulted in the death of 20-year-old Jamie Sanderson.

Luminar said it will keep the venue open whilst it considers its position.

Chair of Kingston's licensing committee Councillor Liz Green said: "After hearing the evidence from the police, residents, and the license holders the committee feels that the revocation of the licences is the only appropriate response."

Kingston’s borough commander Martin Greenslade added: "There is no escaping the fact that these premises are far and away the largest generator of reported crimes in the Royal Borough. Whilst many of these relate to thefts (particularly of mobile phones) there is little doubt that these premises generate a more than significant amount of violent crime whether they be common assaults, ABHs or GBHs.

"I am left with no alternative than to seek revocation of the licence. I believe this to be a proportionate response to the problems that exist within the premises."

In a statement, Luminar said: “The death of a customer in our club was tragic, but the safety and security of our customers is and always has been our main priority and that’s why the outcome of today’s licensing hearing decision is so disappointing. We will be considering our position; in the meantime the club remains open.

“We would like to stress that the club has one of the most sophisticated search and security procedures in the UK, which proved invaluable to the Police investigation and led to the arrest and charging of three people.

“Since the incident, we have conducted a further review of security systems and look forward to continuing to work closely with the local Kingston community, licensing and police teams to maintain the safest possible environment for our customers.

“Over 300,000 people visit Oceana every year, making it one of the most popular venues in the UK. It’s so sad that the few spoil it for the majority.”

According to the Kingston Guardian, documents submitted to the report from the licensing committee in the town said that a pan-London police licensing team said the level of violent offences was “remarkably low” for such a young customer base. They said the club was “well run” and security staff were “professional”.