Security guards at Brixton Academy regularly took bribes to let people into shows without tickets, a whistleblower has claimed.
Mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, died in hospital after a crush at the venue in December.
They were at the Academy for a gig by Afro pop star Asake where witnesses described hundreds of people trying to get into the show despite the venue already being packed.
A whistleblower has told the BBC’s File on Four that some members of his team would each allow “a couple of hundred” extra people into venues in exchange for money on a regular basis. The guard claimed: “There were people taking money… some staff made £1,000 cash.”
The whistleblower guard, using the fake name Rohan, added that there were only 110 security guards on duty on the night of the fatal crush, when there should have been 190.
He described the crush which took place at Asake’s concert “like being in a car crash that’s been really awful – being crashed on and stamped on”. Rohan said that things get “out of hand” when a few people bribe their way in, because word of the breach spreads and other people try their luck.
The whistleblower added;
“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.
“You can train someone to the max, but when that happens in front of you, you actually stop… you freeze.”
Rohan claimed that the subject of bribes had been brought up in staff meetings, but AP Security managers had not reprimanded guards accused of letting ticketless people in.
He also disclosed that bribing guards for tickets was not limited to Brixton Academy, but also happened at several other venues and festivals where he had worked.
“You can train someone to the max, but when that happens in front of you, you actually stop… you freeze.”
Rohan claimed that the subject of bribes had been brought up in staff meetings, but AP Security managers had not reprimanded guards accused of letting ticketless people in.
He also disclosed that bribing guards for tickets was not limited to Brixton Academy, but also happened at several other venues and festivals where he had worked.