Lambeth Council's Licensing Sub-Committee decided to temporarily suspend the licence of Dirty Blonde, a nightclub on Wandsworth Road, following an application for an expedited review by the Metropolitan police. This interim suspension will be in place while the sub-committee conducts a full review of the licence, scheduled for 25 October 2024.

Suspension of Dirty Blonde's licence

The Metropolitan police submitted their application for an expedited review following a serious incident outside the club in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 29 September 2024.

At 04:06hrs police were called to attend the premises in response to reports that 20 plus people were fighting with knives.

The police told the sub-committee that three people were stabbed during the fight. One person sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, another suffered injuries that were life-threatening, and the third person died. The police said that their investigations were ongoing, but that they believed an altercation began inside the club between two groups of men, and that the altercation continued outside where the stabbings occurred.

The police’s barrister, Micheal Feeney, argued that the sub-committee should suspend Dirty Blonde’s licence on four grounds:

1. That the Home Office’s guidance on licensing states that expedited reviews are designed to tackle serious crime, and that the immediate suspension of a licence is an appropriate step following a serious crime.
2. That Dirty Blonde had breached several of the conditions attached to its licence:
   • The club was supposed to be conducting thorough searches of people entering the club to ensure that weapons were not being brought in. The police said that “people were seen inside with knives”, and so it could be concluded that these searches were either not being conducted, or that they were being conducted improperly.
   • The club was supposed to be dispersing customers quickly and safely at closing time. The police said that this condition was not being complied with.
   • The club was supposed to be maintaining an up-to-date CCTV system. The police said that when they requested to view the club’s CCTV footage, the most recent footage they were offered was from April 2024.
3. That the designated premises supervisor – the person legally responsible for authorising the sale of alcohol on a premises – was not in fact managing the venue. The police said that when they contacted the designated premises supervisor, Mr Rasa Monazzahian, “his response was that the premises had been run by someone else”. The police said that this was “completely unacceptable” and in “flagrant breach” of the club’s licence.
4. That there was a high risk that further violent incidents may occur at the club if it were allowed to remain open, possibly in the form of reprisals. Mr Feeney said the police were concerned that “if the premises were allowed to continue operating, there would be a high risk that members/people of opposite gangs would use it as an opportunity to seek revenge or reprisal on other people.”

Representation by Mr Balin Ishmael

Mr Balin Ishmael, the managing director of Dirty Blonde, was present at the meeting and wished to address the sub-committee. However, he was told that he was not permitted to address the sub-committee because he was neither the designated premises supervisor nor a legal representative of the designated premises supervisor. Mr Ishmael said that he and Mr Monazzahian “were no longer business partners” and that Mr Monazzahian “had not managed the premises in over five years”. Mr Ishmael also said that he was in the process of having the licence transferred to his name, but that this had been put on hold following the incident on the 29 September. The sub-committee sought legal advice on the matter, and ruled that because Mr Ishmael had not requested to speak in advance of the meeting, he could not address the meeting. The sub-committee’s chair, Councillor Adrien Garden, told Mr Ishmael that “he would have a chance to make representations and speak at the final hearing” on 25 October.