The Gay Village club could lose its licence over the incident

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A 15-year-old boy has been accused of raping a woman in a nightclub toilet. Police are investigating reports of a woman being raped inside a toilet cubicle at Bloom in Manchester in the early hours of Wednesday morning (June 29).

The female customer and her friends reported being approached by a 15-year-old who was offering to sell them drugs at around 4.15am, according to police. One friend claimed security staff said "have a good one mate" to the teenager as he entered the male toilets with the woman, a police report says.

Once inside a toilet cubicle, the 15-year-old boy allegedly raped the woman. She text her friends approximately 20 minutes later asking for help, according to the report, and explained to the staff at the nightclub what had happened.

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Security staff located the 15-year-old male and detained him outside the premises, according to a police report, but the victim told staff that she did not want the police contacted, so the offender was allowed to leave the premises. But at approximately 5am, one of the victim's friends contacted Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to report the incident and officers attended the premises, according to a police report submitted to Manchester council.

A GMP spokesperson said: "Officers were called to a report of a rape at a premises on Bloom Street in Manchester just after 5am yesterday (29 June). A woman was raped by a male.

"An investigation was immediately launched and a number of lines of enquiry are already being followed up. The victim is also currently being supported by specialist services."

The Gay Village nightclub in Bloom Street could now lose its nightclub licence as Manchester council investigates the allegations made against the premises. In a report to the licensing sub-committee hearing panel, Superintendent Christopher Downey expressed the police's concerns about the premises.

He wrote: "The details of this incident are shocking for a number of reasons. A 15-year-old male was permitted entry to a nightclub in the early hours of the morning and the usual age verification seems not to have taken place.

"A 15-year-old male was able to attempt to deal drugs to customers inside the premises. A female customer has been permitted to enter the male toilets with the 15-year-old male, seemingly with the approval of security staff.

"Once a very serious incident was brought to the attention of staff and the offender was detained, staff have not contacted police and then allowed the offender to leave the area without contacting the police meaning the opportunity to apprehend a potentially dangerous offender was missed and the subsequent investigation hindered."

For these reasons, Supt Downey requested that the licence is temporarily suspended until a full review of the licence is heard before the committee. The summary review hearing will take place on Friday (July 1) at 10am.

Bloom has been contacted for comment. Premises licence holder Lapwine Limited will have an opportunity to respond to the allegations at the hearing. Anyone with information about the incident can report it online at www.gmp.police.uk.

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