The London nightclub Heaven has closed “until further notice” after a security guard was accused of raping a woman.
The Metropolitan Police said the club will be shut for up to 28 days after Westminster Council decided to suspend its licence earlier on Friday.
It follows an allegation that a woman was raped close to the venue by a member of security staff this month.
“Other staff then allegedly ignored her efforts to report the attack,” the force said.
A member of security staff has been arrested and charged with rape, and is on remand in prison, police said.
Morenikeji Adewole, 47, from Dartford – also known as Olu Julius or Olusolu Alabi – was charged with rape on Wednesday.
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A statement on Heaven’s Instagram account said it would be shut “until further notice” after “an allegation that a security guard sexually assaulted a woman who had been refused entry to Heaven Nightclub”.
The club said “we are sickened by this allegation”, adding it could not comment due to an ongoing criminal investigation.
It said it was considering appealing the council’s decision, which police said was made on the grounds of public safety.
The statement from Heaven added: “Our priority is to put new procedures in place to make sure nothing like this can happen again & gain the confidence of the Council as we move forward.”
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Westminster Council said it decided to suspend Heaven’s licence after “considering evidence from both the police and the operator”.
In a statement it said: “We recognise this venue’s cultural significance but the committee agreed this step is 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.
“This case is currently subject of an ongoing police investigation, and we are unable to comment further at this stage.”
