Backroom nightclub Leeds has licence suspended for three months after 17-year-old girl raped outside

The Back Room nightclub, located on Call Lane and commonly known as ‘Backroom’, remains closed after a meeting of the Leeds City Council Licensing Sub-Committee on Monday, December 15.

West Yorkshire Police called for an urgent meeting to review the nightclub's licence after a 17-year-old girl, who had been on a night out in the area, was reportedly raped nearby shortly after leaving the venue at around 2.15am on November 9.

This subsequently led to an immediate suspension of the venue’s licence, pending review, at a Sub-Committee meeting on November 20.

In a statement provided to the YEP, a Leeds City Council spokesperson confirmed that following the substantive review of the premises licence for The Back Room on Call Lane, the Committee resolved to:

• Suspend the premises licence for three months.
• Remove the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS), and for any new DPS to have no current or previous association to the premises or the licence holder’s directors.
• Modify the licence by replacing the existing conditions with those proposed by the licence holder.
• Replace the current door staff provider.

To ensure there are appropriate and proportionate safeguards in place at all times, the Sub-Committee resolved to continue the interim step of suspension pending the expiry of the appeal period or, if an appeal is lodged, until the appeal is disposed of.

Umar Asghar, 34, of Retford Place, Bradford, has been remanded into custody after being charged with two offences of rape, an offence of kidnap, and an offence of false imprisonment, in relation to the incident.

Mr Asghar, who the police statement notes self-identifies as Pakistani Asian, made his first appearance before Leeds Magistrates’ Court on Monday, November 17. Anyone with any information is asked to contact West Yorkshire Police by calling 101 or online, quoting reference 13250647938.