On 15 December 2022, a crush at Brixton Academy concert claimed two lives and a third person remains critically ill.
Social media footage showed long queues of people, many thought to be ticketless, trying to gain entry to the sold-out gig by Afrobeats artist Asake.
A year later, the victim’s families feel they still don’t have answers and they’ve had no contact with the artist.
The police and the families are calling on the public for further evidence to find out how it happened.
In the days and weeks that followed, concerns were raised over the strength of the venue’s doors and staffing levels, including whether there was enough medical cover.Gaby Hutchinson, 23, from Kent was a security contractor working that night.
Gaby’s sisters, Nina and Kelsey Hutchinson, say they don’t believe that Asake has done as much as he could.
Kelsey said: “The main person who can help is Asake. He’s not done nearly enough for the families. Maybe enough for himself. He’s used Gaby’s name in his speeches and concerts but he’s not done anything to support the investigation.”
“He has a voice, he can use it for good. He could come forward to his fans and ask for support with the appeals. These people had cameras and there are statements that they can give.”
Nina added: “Reliving everything that happened a year ago, it never gets any easier. Gaby will always be the person who should be there and who is missing. We’re living this real time and we still don’t have those answers.”
Nina added: “Reliving everything that happened a year ago, it never gets any easier. Gaby will always be the person who should be there and who is missing. We’re living this real time and we still don’t have those answers.”
Mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, from Stratford, east London, also died in the crush.
Speaking of Asake, Rebecca’s parents, Yetunde Olodo and Anthony Ikumelo, said the musician had not reached out to them either.
Mr Ikumelo said: “Asake has been back to the country twice since the incident and twice he hasn’t checked in to the families to ask us how we’re coping.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to contact us but he should do what he thinks is right. It’s been a year but for us it feels like last week. What makes it so painful is that we are still waiting for answers: we don’t understand why this happened. Rebecca went to see her idol and never returned home.”
The South London music venue’s license was suspended shortly after last December following heavy criticism in the aftermath of the incident. The venue faced permanent closure after the Met Police urged the council to remove its license.
Following a two-day hearing in September, Lambeth Council’s licensing sub-committee voted to allow the venue to continue operating – so long as it met “77 extensive and robust new conditions”.
These 77 conditions include:
Stronger doors
New crowd management systems
More detailed risk assessments
A new ticketing system
A centralised control and command centre
