A popular sound system has been banned from Notting Hill Carnival after a man was reportedly bottled at the venue and left on the street without help.
Kensington and Chelsea Council said it had no other choice but to revoke Volcano Sound System’s (Volcano) licence after the party-goer was left with ‘deep lacerations’ across his neck, head, legs and right hand during last year’s celebrations.
The council said the decision was ‘proportionate and appropriate’ after the Metropolitan Police raised a number of concerns about allowing the venue to operate again during this year.
In a summary decision published this week, the council’s Licensing Committee said: The Committee emphatically agreed and maintain that Notting Hill Carnival should be a safe environment for all persons, including the vulnerable, attending this international event.
The committee determined that the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety licensing objectives were not promoted by the Premises Licence Holder.”
It said Volcano had failed to protect an intoxicated and ‘clearly vulnerable’ individual who had been seriously assaulted twice on the premises. The committee said the venue had also breached a number of its licensing conditions, including ensuring security staff are clearly identifiable.
They found that after being seriously assaulted, the victim was removed from the venue by security and left on a street nearby where he was looked after by members of the public.
They said Volcano staff and its manager, Mr Courtney White, showed no consideration for the victim’s vulnerability and made no effort to notify police or the ambulance service of the incident. They said no one approached the police to explain what had happened once they arrived.
The decision read: “Despite having operated at Notting Hill Carnival in various locations (including this location) since 2008, the Premises Licence Holder did not seem to appreciate that it was his primary responsibility to ensure the effective and safe management of his premises and the promotion of the licensing objectives. At times during the hearing, the Premises Licence Holder seemed to deflect his responsibility by stating that his security team did not follow his instructions and that the Metropolitan Police did not provide him with enough support.
“Whilst the committee appreciate that the police have a supportive role to play in facilitating the safe running of Notting Hill Carnival and were also made aware that, unlike the previous year, Athlone Place was accessible to pedestrians (as it had not been allocated as a safety zone) and that some safety barriers had been removed, it is not the role of the Metropolitan Police to be responsible for policing the premises. As explained by the Metropolitan Police, their role is more so reactive whereas the role of the Premises Licence Holder should be proactive.”
Volcano cannot appeal it until a full decision is handed down. According to documents shared with Kensington and Chelsea Council, the incident took place when a drunken party-goer was refused entry to a VIP area by staff. It is claimed that while the victim was being removed from the area, he was assaulted by a member of staff as well as another male who proceeded to hit him over the head on two separate occasions with a glass bottle.
The scuffle was captured on a bystander’s mobile phone and the police believe Mr White was physically involved in ejecting the victim from the area and was very likely to have witnessed or been informed of the second assault, which saw the victim being hit over the head with a glass bottle, which smashed on impact.
The Met said Mr White’s handling of the incident was ‘completely unacceptable’. Mr White said it was ‘unfortunate’ the Met had requested a licence review after what he described as a decade of ‘safely delivering a sound system experience to thousands of carnival goers’.
The seasoned events manager pledged to train staff and volunteers ‘via a reputable training provider’, increase the number of welfare stewards and stop selling Volcano-branded apparel, after claiming the person involved in the assault was a member of the public who had bought one of their t-shirts, rather than being a staff member.
