Oceana has had its licence revoked today following last month's fatal stabbing.

A sub-committee decided to withdraw the nightclub's licence following an all day hearing at Guildhall in Kingston.

But the club will stay open until after an appeal against the decision is heard.

Kingston's borough commander had said closure was the only option for the club.

Chair of the licensing committee Coun Liz Green said: "After hearing the evidence from the police, residents, and the license holders the committee feels that the revocation of the licences is the only appropriate response."

Speaking after the meeting, representatives of Luminar, the club's owners, described the decision as disappointing and unfair, but declined  to comment further.

The club topped a poll of the most crimes in London night clubs for two years running and accounts for almost a quarter of crimes in Kingston, the hearing heard.
 

The committee heard how a "loophole" in security allowed a knife to be brought into the club on the night Jamie Sanderson died.

According to police, the weapon had been taken into Oceana through Woo Woo bar, which does not have metal detectors.

Documents submitted to the court by Met Police showed a catalogue of crimes at the Clarence Street venue in 2012 including over 250 cases of theft, eight cases of grievious bodily harm and the alleged rape of a 19-year-old girl.

Kingston's borough commander Martin Greenslade said the death was the "defining moment" in the decision to call for the club to be closed.

He told the committee that "almost all" of the violent crimes were committed under the influence of alcohol and that often victims and assailants could not recall events when interviewed the following day by officers.

Earliier residents told how their lives had been made a "living hell" since the club opened in 2003.

Helen Miller, who appeared before the committee, said she had slept peacefully for the first time since the club opened during the two weeks the club had its licence suspended.

Was this the right decision? Email newsdesk@surreycomet.co.uk or leave a comment below.