Ade Omisore A thug who knifed a rival on the dancefloor at an exclusive nightclub after a mass brawl left revellers running for their lives has been jailed.
Ade Omisore, 33, knifed Robert Etienne in the stomach at Opium in Piccadilly Circus in a gang related attack at 3am on 25 August 2019.
Tristan Samuels was then blasted twice in the back as he tried to run off with Mr Etienne. Dramatic CCTV footage showed 39-year-old Richard Palmer catching up with Mr Samuels and shooting him in the middle of the road as onlookers scream. Central News
Shooting suspect
The 39-year-old suspect, identified as Richard Palmer, was captured on a dramatic surveillance tape coming up to Mr. Samuels and shooting him in the middle of the road as witnesses screamed in horror.
On August 25, 2019 at 3 a.m., Ade Omisore, 33, attacked Robert Etienne, 32, in a gang-related incident at Opium in Piccadilly Circus.
As Tristan Samuels tried to escape with Mr. Etienne, he was shot twice in the back.
The 39-year-old suspect, identified as Richard Palmer, was captured on a dramatic surveillance tape coming up to Mr. Samuels and shooting him in the middle of the road as witnesses screamed in horror.
Rupert Street’s award-winning club reopened in December 2018 after a £7 million makeover. After the attack on September 23, 2019, Westminster City Council decided to pull its licence.After a trial at Southwark Crown Court, Omisore, a man without a permanent abode, was found guilty of wounding with intent.
According to Judge Christopher Hehir, “many clubgoers were not searched at all, and searches were cursory at best.” Hehir told the court, “Serious violence erupted on the dance floor of Opium nightclub on Rupert Street” in describing Omisore’s activities that night.
“You stabbed Mr. Etienne in the left abdomen after he jumped on the dance floor from a sofa.” Fortunately, the wound you inflicted on Robert Etienne was not life-threatening.
He flat-out refused to help the prosecution in any way and did not testify in court. Lots of evidence points to gangs and gang rivalries as the root cause of the violence.
To paraphrase, “Nothing excuses the level of violence you inflicted that day. You are the author of your own misfortune.” Sentencing Omisore to five and a half years in prison, Judge Hehir told him, “My conclusion is that you are a devious and deplorable individual.”
“You are only sorry that you were caught and sorry that you are being sentenced again.” The time [in prison] will provide you with a substantial opportunity to reflect.
Nightclub loses licence
The police requested that Westminster City Council suspend the licence for Opium in Rupert Street as a result of the incident on Sunday, August 25.
According to Barrister James Rankin, who was representing the police, CCTV footage from the evening of August 25 appears to show that the knife and gun were both carried into the club on Rupert Street at the time of the incident.
“Opium Nightclub, the winner of Luxury Lifestyle Awards in the category of Best Luxury Nightclub in London 2019, has lost its licence. The 500 capacity nightclub had only been open since December 2018 following a £7 million pound refurbishment of its Rupert Street Location. The club hosted a promoted event on 25th August 2019 at which one person was stabbed and another person was shot. The Metropolitan Police brought summary review proceedings and the licence was suspended as an interim step. At the full review hearing on 23/9/19 Westminster City Council revoked the licence following what the police termed a catalogue of breaches of the licence conditions. The police maintained that the incidents were entirely preventable had proper search procedures and other protocols been followed.” -James Rankin – Tuesday, 24 September, 2019
James Rankin of Francis Taylor Building represented the police. Philip Kolvin QC represented the club.