Brixton Academy security guards alleged to have routinely taken bribes

After a fatal crowd crush at the London venue in December, the BBC has spoken to a guard who says hundreds were let in for cash

A security guard at London's O2 Academy Brixton, which has been closed since a fatal crowd crush occurred at the venue in mid-December, has alleged in a BBC report that other guards regularly took bribes to let people in without tickets.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, both died after a show by Afrobeats star Asake on 15 December, with several more injured.

This article was updated on 17 January 2023 to reflect that there were 157 security guards present on the night of the Asake show, not 158, as a spokesperson for the Brixton Academy previously said.