Stabbings linked with Sheffield nightclub Niche 'left man needing facial reconstruction'

A police cordon near Niche after four men were found stabbed close to the nightclub on December 23

Five men were found injured in the Wicker area where police were called in the early hours of Saturday, December 23, after violence flared near Niche nightclub.

A police report published today details how a man was attacked inside the Walker Street venue that morning and cameras captured him being dragged along the floor by security staff who were ejecting him, while his assailants continued their assault.

Niche has remained closed since violence erupted near the nightclub on December 23

A group of men involved in the attack are seen leaving the premises and being allowed to re-enter as they please, according to the police statement, with no control by door staff.

'Substantial' disorder then erupts outside, with four men being stabbed and a fifth also injured, one of whom was so badly harmed he requires reconstructive surgery to his face.

Superintendent Paul McCurry writes how CCTV footage showed one of the alleged offenders wandering around the club and outside the entrance with a large glass bottle without being challenged by door staff.

Body worn cameras were never activated by security staff and there was no evidence of employees calling police to report the disorder, he adds.

Police on the Wicker during the morning of the stabbings

"Niche was unable or unwilling to provide proper security and control both inside and outside the premises," he writes.

"As a result, those who visited Niche intent on causing violence and disorder were allowed to act without restraint."

There is nothing within the police report to suggest anybody was stabbed inside the club, or that a knife was present within the premises at any time.

The shocking details of that morning's events are contained in the agenda for a licence review hearing, at which members of Sheffield Council's licensing sub-committee are due to consider the club's fate next Thursday.

Demonstrators campaigning to allow Niche to reopen gather outside Sheffield Town Hall

Niche has remained shut since December 23, after a closure order was granted at Sheffield Magistrates' Court.

The club's management has previously claimed a permanent closure would be a 'clear attack' on the nightclub based on the reputation of its name and not its new venue, which opened around a year ago.

The original Sydney Street venue closed in 2005 following a drugs raid and a series of attacks.

An official statement on Niche's Facebook page declared earlier this month that it is confident there were no knives within the premises and the stabbings did not take place inside.

"There was an isolated incident in Niche which was very quickly dealt with and all people involved were ejected straight away," it continues.

"Violence of any type is not tolerated in the club and never has been, a safe environment for our guests is of paramount importance."

The council's licensing sub-committee has the power to revoke the licence or order new conditions to be added, among other measures.

The licence review hearing was due to take place last Thursday but was adjourned after police failed to share evidence with the club's legal team.

The five men who were found injured that morning were all aged between 21 and 42.

Two men, aged 19 and 28, have been charged with violent disorder, and police recently released images of three other men wanted in connection with the incident.