Removal men seen emptying shuttered Groucho Club of furniture as it remains closed on orders of the police after man was arrested on suspicion of raping woman inside celebrity haunt
Removal men have been spotted stripping The Groucho Club of its furniture after a man was arrested on suspicion of raping a woman inside the members-only club which has been closed amid an investigation.
Removal men have been spotted stripping The Groucho Club of its furniture after a man was arrested on suspicion of raping a woman inside the members-only club which has been closed amid an investigation.
Velvet sofas and chairs were being dragged out of the celebrity haunt on Dean Street, Soho, this afternoon, with removal staff seen loading up three big vans full of furniture.
The Groucho Club, frequented in the past by the likes of likes of Princess Diana, Kate Moss and Harry Styles, was shut with immediate effect at the request of police on Tuesday.
The Met Police today said a 34-year-old man was arrested last night after being detained at a Hertfordshire address on suspicion of rape. He remains in custody.
Police do not believe any staff were involved in the alleged offence which took place on November 13.
Members had been initially told that the venue, one of Londons most famous private members clubs, was shut because a "recent serious criminal offence" had taken place at the premises.
A Met Police spokesperson said today: On Tuesday, 26 November, a Westminster Council licensing hearing ruled that the licence for The Groucho Club should be suspended for up to 28 days until a full hearing can take place.
Removal men were spotted stripping The Groucho Club of its furniture as the members club remains closed following an alleged rape
Sofas and chairs were among the items being dragged out of the club and loaded up into vans
A removal man throws furniture from inside The Groucho Club into the back of a van
The initial hearing was held following an application by the Met which raised concerns that the venue had breached licensing conditions and had been the scene of the serious criminal offence set out above.
The investigation is being led by officers at the Mets Central West Public Protection Team.
The female complainant is being supported by specialist officers.
Two documents detailing why Scotland Yard wanted a review of the celebrity haunts licence were heavily redacted by Westminster City Council.
The documents requesting a summary licence review for the club under Section 53A (1) (b) of the 2003 Licensing Act were drawn up by the Metropolitan Police on Friday and Saturday last week.
A spokesperson for Westminster City Council told MailOnline this week that the decision to suspend the clubs license at the request of the police was made at a licensing committee meeting.
The issue about the club which opened in 1985 was the only item on the agenda at the meeting which was held in private this week.
A notice on the front of The Groucho Club this week which confirmed that it had been forced to close after its licence was suspended
A man has been arrested after a woman was allegedly raped in The Groucho Club (file picture)
Scotland Yard said the alleged attack took place on Wednesday, November 13
The Groucho Club is one of Londons most well-known private members clubs and has a long association with A-list celebrities.
Over the years, the club has welcomed the likes of George Michael, Rita Ora, Cara Delevingne, Noel and Liam Gallagher, Lily Allen, her father Keith, Robbie Williams, Freddie Mercury and Noel Fielding.
The club was originally set up as a more relaxed alternative to traditional gentlemens clubs, and current members "should have a creative role within the creative industries and share the clubs maverick spirit", according to the venues website.
It was famously named after American comic Groucho Marx, who once joked: I dont want to belong to any club which will accept me as a member.
