Death crush student nightclub that 'lost control' told to close pending inquiries - Mirror.co.uk

Nabila Nanfuka

A nightclub where a student was killed in a crush was told to close pending further inquiries today after a council committee heard its staff had lost control.

Nabila Nanfuka, 22, died at the Lava and Ignite club in Northampton in the early hours yesterday.

Miss Nanfuka, of Neasden, north west London, was fatally injured and two other women were taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Northampton Borough Council's licensing committee suspended Lava and Ignite's licence while an investigation is carried out.

Pc David Bryan, licensing officer with Northamptonshire Police, told members that revellers panicked due to overcrowding and fighting broke out on the stairs.

He said the force took a call from a group of people who became trapped in a lift before the situation escalated and club staff lost control of the situation.

A member of the promotions team had been arrested following the incident on suspicion of a public disorder offence, he added.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said a second person was also arrested at around 3.40am in the car park for assaulting a police officer.

The force is investigating claims that a fire alarm prompted a stampede for the exits of the crowded club in St Peters Way after revellers were warned that their buses home were about to leave.

Police handed evidence to Northampton Borough Council about concerns surrounding the premises after the death of Miss Nanfuka, who was a leisure and tourism student at Northampton University,

The decision to suspend the club's licence is an interim step while a full review is carried out.

Pc Bryan said the force was not made aware of the event, which had been advertised nationally, with revellers coached in from across the country.

Flyers distributed for the event wrongly advertised that it was being supported by Northamptonshire Police, he said.

Police refused to comment on the number of people thought to have been inside but say the capacity was 1,600 people.

Simon Douglas, chief executive of the club's owners Luminar Leisure, told the meeting he was deeply saddened by the death and said the firm had launched its own investigation into the incident.

He said it had no objection to the licence being suspended in order for the review to take place.

A solicitor acting for the firm said it believed that an announcement from the DJ saying that coaches were leaving prompted a crush.

Following the meeting, Julie Seddon, Northampton Borough Council's director for environment and culture said: "The Licensing Committee has decided that, due to the severity of the incidents reported, the loss of life and the number of serious injuries, the only viable course of action is to suspend the premises' licence.

"This is an interim decision and a full hearing into the licence will be held within the next 28 days."