Notting Hill Carnival stand's licence reviewed after assault

BBC News

19-03-2025

Police have called for a Notting Hill Carnival stand to be shut down after a party-goer had a glass bottle smashed over his head, documents state. The serious assault, which is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, left the victim with "deep lacerations" across his neck, head, legs and right hand.Police said the incident took place "within the footprint" of Volcano Sound System's setup on Faraday Road, west London, on the last day of the carnival in 2024 and has called for the stand's licence to be revoked.Courtney White, who runs the sound system's site, said none of his staff were involved in the incident. Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) will review the licence on Thursday.
According to documents shared with RBKC the incident took place when a drunken party-goer was refused entry to a VIP area by staff, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.It was claimed that while the man was being removed from the area, he was assaulted by two people who hit him over the head with a glass bottle.A statement from the Met said: "Following the two assaults, there appears to have been no attempt by [Mr White] or any member of staff or security to notify the police or ambulance service/St John's Ambulance of the incident or injured victim."
The document went on to say the police were called by a member of the public but when they arrived, neither Mr White nor his security or staff approached to explain what happened. Mr White was later interviewed under caution by investigating officers.He claimed the victim was thrown to the floor by someone who purchased a Volcano T-shirt prior to the carnival, and said no staff were involved in the incident.
'No confidence'
The Met said Mr White's handling of the incident was "completely unacceptable" and he or his staff should have called police or ambulance crews. Mr White was accused of breaching 13 conditions of his licence, including failure to train staff in the lead up to carnival."The police have no confidence that Mr White is able to run a safe sound system going forward," the force said.
Mr White said it was "unfortunate" the Met had requested a licence review after what he described as a decade of "safely delivering a sound system experience to thousands of carnival goers".He pledged to train staff and volunteers "via a reputable training provider", increase the number of welfare stewards and stop selling Volcano-branded apparel.He said: "Whilst I can accept that the unfortunate incident was not managed well, after reflection and learning I believe that I have the ability to ensure I meet all licensing conditions as well as ensure additional plans are in place in the event of an incident or emergency."