Woman ‘raped by relative of sports star after she left Mayfair nightclub'

The alleged incident happened after a woman was 'carried' from Charlie Berkeley Street club
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A partygoer at a celebrity nightclub was allegedly raped by a relative of a “well-known, controversial sports- person”.

The woman is alleged to have been attacked on New Year’s Day after being “carried” from Charlie Berkeley Street by a man pretending to work as a doorman at the Mayfair nightclub.

He took her to a hotel and left her there, where she was allegedly assaulted by a stranger. Police said she reported the incident after waking “naked, in a confused state, alone” and her £11,000 watch was missing.

Police believe poor management and breaches of licensing conditions led to the alleged attack after a New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby-themed party.

The woman was seen on CCTV entering the club apparently sober at 12.30am before leaving “intoxicated” at 4am. According to a police statement, she was “picked up” by the man, taken outside and “dragged” across the road to the hotel. The man is not being treated as a suspect but police have raised concerns about his relationship with the club, where it is alleged his flatmate was then working.

In a statement to Westminster council’s licensing department, seen by the Standard, Sergeant Paul Hoppe, the licensing sergeant for Westminster, said: “She does not know what has happened other than she feels she has been violated and was unable to consent.”

He said police “have been clear with the venue that there is a potential for adverse publicity… as the suspect… is a family member of a well-known, controversial sportsperson”.

Police claim door staff should have seen the state the woman was in when she left and helped her, and have asked for a review of the club’s licence. Sergeant Hoppe said the club “refused to cooperate” after the alleged attack.

The club is owned by Jimmy Man and Paul Chung and opened last September after a £1 million facelift. It was formerly Funky Buddha and attracted stars including One Direction’s Liam Payne.

A licensing hearing was triggered after police and the club were unable to agree and the hearing is taking place at Westminster council today.

A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed a man was arrested on January 28 “on suspicion of rape and theft following an incident at a central London hotel on January 1, 2016” and had been bailed until June.

A spokeswoman for the club said neither the owners nor manager could comment as “it is still under investigation”.

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