A man has been arrested on suspicion of rape as part of an investigation into an alleged sexual attack at the Groucho Club in central London.
The Metropolitan police said a 34-year-old man was arrested on Saturday evening at an address in Hertfordshire and remained in custody.
The investigation, which forced the closure of the Groucho Club earlier this week, concerns reports that a woman was raped inside the venue in Dean Street, Soho, on 13 November. The woman is being supported by specialist officers, the Met said.
Earlier this week, a Westminster council licensing hearing ruled that the licence for the Groucho Club should be suspended for up to 28 days until a full hearing could take place.
The initial hearing was held after concerns by the Met that the venue had breached licensing conditions and had been the scene of a serious crime.
The Met said that at this stage there was no suggestion that employees of the venue were involved in the rape.
The investigation into the report of a rape at the venue is being led by detectives from the Met’s central west public protection team.
The closure of the club, which costs up to £1,500 a year to join and whose members include many well-known figures, was announced as the lucrative festive season began.
Last Tuesday, the Groucho Club’s chief executive, Elli Jafari, the first woman appointed to the role, wrote to members and apologised for the temporary closure, saying it had taken the application to review its licence “very seriously”.
“The club’s licence has been suspended by agreement with Westminster city council and we have made the decision to close the club pending a full hearing before Christmas,” Jafari said.
A council spokesperson said: “Following a request from the Metropolitan police and with the agreement of the operator, the council’s licensing subcommittee has decided to suspend the Groucho Club’s licence with immediate effect on the basis that the premises is associated with serious crime.
“This decision follows reports that a serious crime may have taken place at the premises in circumstances linked to a breach in the premises’ licensing conditions. The allegations are subject to an ongoing police investigation and we cannot comment further at this stage.”
The Groucho Club was founded in 1985 by a group of publishers and agents, including Carmen Callil, Ed Victor, Liz Calder and Michael Sissons, and has been frequented by successive generations of artists, writers and musicians. It took its name from Groucho Marx, who famously said he did not want to belong to any club that would have him as a member.
The Groucho Club has often revelled in a reputation for creativity and hedonism, encapsulated in its nickname as the “home for hell raisers”. From its launch it has welcomed female members in contrast to the West End’s traditional gentlemen’s clubs.
Its new owners, the Artfarm run by Manuela and Iwan Wirth, are keen to attract a younger clientele.
Prominent members have included the musician and actor Harry Styles, 30, the actors Cara Delevingne, 32, and Rachel Weisz, 54, the broadcaster Nick Grimshaw, 40, the musicians Jarvis Cocker, 61, Lily Allen, 39, Noel Gallagher, 57 and the writer, actor and comedian Stephen Fry, 67. Fry was said to have instigated a ban on mobile phones in the bar and the wearing of string vests.
Damien Hirst, 59, celebrated winning the Turner prize in 1992 by putting his £20,000 winnings behind the bar.
