Ghost bar has its hours cut after shooting
Club became ‘hotspot for crime and violence’ after owner lost control, police tell hearing
AN “out-of-control” bar has been stripped of its 24-hour licence after a man was shot inside the club just before Christmas.
Ghost, on the corner of Farringdon Road and Ray Street in Clerkenwell, must shut by 1.30am every night, after a licence review at the town hall on Monday. Owner David Serlui can no longer be designated premises supervisor (DPS).
It has emerged that undercover police on a routine check visited the club just three hours before the shooting but failed to get in because it was full to capacity.
Mr Serlui is now appealing to the magistrates’ court in a bid to rescue his business.
Speaking after the licence review, he said: “It will have a knock-on effect on how we operate and if it’s viable to operate or if it goes bankrupt.
“I just have to step back from managing. It hurts a little bit that, after the work I’ve done with residents, police and the licensing authorities, they don’t feel I can continue as DPS.”
Islington Police’s Chief Inspector Steve Riley said the call for a licence review came after a man was shot in the spine inside the club on December 13, a shooting he believes is linked to gangs from south London.
He said the club’s security had effectively wrested control from Mr Serlui, to the point that they had not informed police or Mr Serlui of the shooting. “A shooting took place inside the premises and attempts were made by the door security team to cover up the incident,” he said.
The security firm has since been sacked and Mr Serlui said he was suing them.
Chief Insp Riley detailed a list of 36 incidents that had happened at the venue since it opened in February last year. “The premises are out of control by the owner and staff,” he told councillors. “They were controlled by the door staff who were choosing who and what they would allow into the premises.
“Mr Serlui is not operating the premises in a fit and controlled way and the premises is a hotspot for crime and violence... I’m not here to take away somebody’s business but I would urge you to severely cut back the hours.”
Mr Serlui challenged the accuracy of the list of incidents, saying some were alleged to have happened on nights Ghost was shut.
He said the club turned drug dealers over to police and reported taxi touts, adding: “We care very much about the area and are trying our best to keep residents happy.”
Although Ghost, which has been shut since the shooting, had a 24-hour licence, it opened only three nights a week, closing at 4am on Saturdays then reopening half an hour later for entertainment industry clients whose own venues had shut. The new hours have put an end to this.
Lib Dem councillor George Allan, representing residents, said: “It’s a damning catalogue of grimly consistent problems over the past 12 months... Mr Serlui must be replaced as DPS.”
Neighbours complained about noise, disorder and disturbance from customers’ cars. One resident, who asked not to be named, said his family suffered from lack of sleep and his daughter would lie awake in tears. Another resident, Michael Parker, described life as “tranquil, absolute bliss” since Ghost temporarily shut after the shooting.
Councillors ruled that the club cannot reopen until CCTV has been installed outside and that all visitors should be searched with hand-held wands. They imposed another 25 conditions on the licence.
RÓISÍN GADELRAB