January 17,(THEWILL) – A whistleblower has revealed that security guards at Brixton Academy took bribes from people, who had no ticket to attend the concert of Ahmed Ololade, aka Asake.
Recall that mother of two, Rebecca Ikumelo and a security guard, Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died in the hospital after a stampede at the venue in December, prompting his concert to cancelled.
The whistleblower told the BBC ‘File on Four’ that some members of his team would each allow a few hundred extra people into venues in exchange for money regularly.
The guard claimed, “There were people taking money… some staff made £1,000 cash.”
He said someone wanting to get into a gig without a ticket would speak to security staff by the barriers controlling the queue of people waiting to get in.
Cash would be handed over and then a security guard would walk the person straight to the front door, he alleged. The guard, who did not want to be named, said taking bribes also took place at other venues, stadiums and festivals where he had worked.
The amount of money handed over depended on who was playing. The whistleblower was working on the front doors at Brixton Academy when the fatal crush happened on December 15.
The whistleblower said, “It was like being in a car crash that’s been really awful, being crashed on and stamped on.
“When you let a few people in, they would text their friends, and they’ll text their friends.
“And the bouncers started being greedy, and it got out of hand. And people wanted to come in anyway, without a ticket.”
The BBC also spoke to someone, who got into a gig with a fake ticket at Brixton Academy the week before the stampede.
The venue already has its licence suspended for three more months by Lambeth council, after an application by the Metropolitan police, while investigations into the stampede continued.
The owners, Academy Music Group, had already said it had decided to stay closed for three months.
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