Sheffield's Spearmint Rhino keeps its licence

Strippers and staff at Spearmint Rhino have kept their licence after a secretly filmed video showing “sexual touching of customers” threatened to shut them down.
Spearmint RhinoSpearmint Rhino
Spearmint Rhino

The club, on Brown Street, will now continue into their 18th year of providing striptease and lap dances in the city centre.

The council's licensing committee made the decision. It followed a hearing which lasted more than eight hours, with several objectors and supporters giving statements.

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The decision came months after an investigation was launched by Sheffield Council into the club.

It followed a full council meeting in which members from the Women’s Equality Party revealed the “graphic” details of undercover footage which showed breaches being made.

The council’s inquiry found six dancers had sexually touched each other and engaged in other sex acts between themselves.

The council report said there had been 74 licence condition breaches and 145 of the club's code of conduct rules had been broken.

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Investigations were also launched by the club and South Yorkshire Police.

The report also said officers found "no evidence that management were aware that breaches were taking place".

Sheffield Council issued this statement: “The decision of the Licensing Sub-Committee was to grant the renewal application for Spearmint Rhino Sheffield.

“Members heard a wealth of information both against and in support of the application and spent a lot of time examining this alongside the documentary evidence.

“The determination notice containing the full reasons for the decision will be available soon.”