Families of victims who died in Brixton Academy crush say they will ‘never stop’ in search for justice
The young sons of a woman who died in a crowd crush at the O2 Academy in Brixton are starting to ask: “Where is my mum?”
Rebecca Ikumelo’s boys, aged five and seven, are beginning to realise their mother isn’t coming home, her family members have said.
Ms Ikumelo, 33, of Newham, east London, and security worker Gaby Hutchinson, 23, of Gravesend, Kent, who was on duty at the south London venue, both died days after being hurt when ticketless fans tried to get into a show by Nigerian Afrobeats artist Asake in December.
A 21-year-old woman is still seriously ill in hospital.
Their grieving families are searching for answers as to how the crush happened and have now appealed to the public to help with a police criminal investigation into the deadly incident.
‘They are really feeling their mum’s absence’
Ms Ikumelo’s father, Anthony, said the family wanted to see a basic sense of “compassion” and “respect” from everyone involved to aid the investigation into what went wrong on 15 December.
Organising more concerts and events instead – while there are still safety concerns – would be a “further slap” to the relatives, he added.
Anthony Ikumelo, 63, father, and Wale Ikumelo, 31, brother, of Rebecca Ikumelo, 33
Mr Ikumelo added one of the reasons his daughter died was “greed” and lamented the lack of safety measures on the day.
He said: “It feels like greed is one of the reasons why my daughter died and why all the things that should have been in place for safety were not there.
“This is why everyone should be working with us, from the government down, to find out what happened and to prevent it from happening again.
“We want those responsible prosecuted and eventually we want the government to make sure this will not happen to another family again.”
Rebecca Ikumelo of Newham. Pic: Met Police
Yetunde Olodo said Ms Ikumelo’s young sons – her grandsons – are missing their mum.
She explained: “They don’t understand what is happening but I am sure they are really feeling their mum’s absence.”
Questions over safety and security need to be answered, according to Ms Ikumelo’s aunt Mary, who said it was “a stampede and it is not the first time this has happened in the UK”.
She said extra safety measures should be put in place at future events.
She added: “We are very angry and upset.
“The people who think that maybe they are going to get away with this – they need to be scared because we will never stop as a family until justice prevails.”
Sale of ‘dodgy’ tickets contributed to tragedy
The other victim of the crush was 23-year-old security worker Gaby Hutchinson and her family also have many unanswered questions.
“Why was she inside? Why was there so many people? Why were there so many people turning up? The venue was full and you have got people outside wanting to get in,” said her mother Chris.
Her daughter was “trained to walk around the [venue’s] perimeter and that was it,” she added.
Gaby Hutchinson died whilst working at the event
While Ms Hutchinson’s sister Nina said: “She did not die because of an accident like a car accident. She died at work and that should not have happened.”
She added: “I hope that for the people who were selling supposedly dodgy tickets that was worth it to them because ultimately it is [part of] what led to my sister’s death.
“There would not have been that excess of people there who did not have tickets, if you did not do that.”
The family feel “fear” of concerts and similar events ever since Ms Hutchinson’s death, her sister added, and they now tried to avoid crowds.
Chris Hutchinson, 60, mother, and Nina Hutchinson, 32, sister, of Gaby Hutchinson, 23, who died following a crowd crush outside an Asake concert at the Brixton O2 Academy in London
Police investigation update
Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney said the criminal investigation was under way and potential offences being looked into included “corporate manslaughter, criminal negligence manslaughter… health and safety at work offences, along with violent disorder”.
Mr Penney said the police “are looking at every avenue to establish exactly what went wrong” and “have persons of interest” they are probing.
He appealed to the “hundreds of people” at the event capturing the scenes on their phones saying, “however insignificant it is, we want people to come forward with whatever they have”.
Entertainment
Robin Kaye: American Idol TV executive and her husband shot dead inside their Los Angeles home
An American Idol TV executive and her husband have been found dead in their LA home.
Robin Kaye was a music supervisor on the long-running reality TV series.
The bodies of the 70-year-old and her husband Thomas were discovered after officers conducted a welfare check at their home.
Both had died from gunshot wounds.
Robin Kaye and her husband Thomas. Pic: Facebook
Detectives say Raymond Boodarian has been arrested in connection with their deaths.
It is alleged the 22-year-old had burgled their property while they were away on 10 July – killing the couple upon their return.
According to Los Angeles Police, there were “no signs of forced entry or trouble” at the property.
Ms Kaye was an industry veteran – and had previously worked on shows including Lip Sync Battle and The Singing Bee, as well as several Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants.
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Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles
In a statement, an American Idol spokesperson said: “Robin has been a cornerstone of the Idol family since 2009 and was truly loved and respected by all who came in contact with her.
“Robin will remain in our hearts forever and we share our deepest sympathy with her family and friends during this difficult time.”
Entertainment
Action taken to stop ticketless Oasis fans from watching this week’s shows in Manchester
Huge steel fences have been erected to prevent ticketless fans from watching the Oasis reunion tour in Manchester.
Liam and Noel Gallagher will resume their sold-out run of shows – their first since 2009 – with a performance at Heaton Park tonight, and two more on Saturday and Sunday.
While tens of thousands bought tickets for Oasis’s first two shows last weekend, crowds gathered to glimpse the large screens above the stage in the distance – in an area dubbed “Gallagher Hill” by some on social media.
People walk past a temporary security fence erected ahead of concerts by Oasis in Heaton Park on 1 July. Reuters file pic
Manchester City Council has now said more steel fences have been erected around parts of the park to prevent ticketless fans from watching the gigs, and to protect nature in the park.
“After taking stock of how the first two nights went, additional measures have now been deemed necessary and will be in place for the next three concerts,” it said.
“The erection of the fencing has a dual purpose – both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there.
“The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
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Friday: Excited fans at Oasis homecoming gig
The fences will cover a large area of the hill within the park’s cattle field, which is being developed as a new woodland area with around 300 young trees planted.
The council added that there would be no facilities for people without a ticket, and said the event area is “double-walled with solid high security fencing all the way round”.
More than 2,000 event security staff and police officers will also be on duty around the site “to ensure both the safety and wellbeing of ticket-holders and that only those who have tickets access the concert”, it said.
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Fans queue all day for Manchester homecoming gig
John Hacking, the council’s executive member for employment, skills and leisure, also said in a statement that “unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place”.
He added: “Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.
“The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.
“We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy, whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”
MasterChef presenter John Torode will no longer work on the show after an allegation he used an “extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, the BBC has said.
His co-host Gregg Wallace was also sacked last week after claims of inappropriate behaviour.
On Monday, Torode said an allegation he used racist language was upheld in a report into the behaviour of Wallace. The report found more than half of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated.
Torode, 59, insisted he had “absolutely no recollection” of the alleged incident involving him and he “did not believe that it happened,” adding “racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.
John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA
In a statement on Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson said the allegation “involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace”.
The claim was “investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm Lewis Silkin”, they added.
“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said.
“We will not tolerate racist language of any kind… we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken.
“John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”
Australian-born Torode started presenting MasterChef alongside Wallace, 60, in 2005.
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Why Gregg Wallace says he ‘will not go quietly’
A statement from Banijay UK said it “takes this matter incredibly seriously” and Lewis Silkin “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018”.
“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint,” the TV production company added.
“Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”
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Earlier, as the BBC released its annual report, its director-general Tim Davie addressed MasterChef’s future, saying it can survive as it is “much bigger than individuals”.
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BBC annual report findings
Speaking to BBC News after Torode was sacked, Mr Davie said a decision is yet to be taken over whether an unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired.
“It’s a difficult one because… those amateur chefs gave a lot to take part – it means a lot, it can be an enormous break if you come through the show,” he added.
“I want to just reflect on that with the team and make a decision, and we’ll communicate that in due course.”
Mr Davie refused to say what the “seriously racist term” Torode was alleged to have used but said: “I certainly think we’ve drawn a line in the sand.”
In 2022, Torode was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to food and charity.
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