A COUNCILLOR who has campaigned to have Diamonds and Pearls shut down is claiming victory.

Barry Wood claimed the club would increase crime and disorder in Henley and after this week’s licensing panel hearing he said: “I told you so.”

Councillor Wood and town and district councillor Lorraine Hillier gave evidence to the panel.

They were supported by one letter from the town council and three others, including one with 17 residents’ signatures.

Cllr Wood told the hearing: “I have spent two years of my life trying to close this club. I have made every effort through Henley Town Council to try to revoke this licence on the basis of preventing crime and disorder in Henley.”


He said he didn’t want children confronted by sexual imagery as they passed the club on their way to school. “The image of our town is being tarnished by this club,” he said. “Our town is being dragged through the mire.”

Juan Lopez, the club’s barrister, accused Cllr Wood of being a lone voice and claimed his evidence was not relevant to the issue of the licence.

Speaking after the hearing, Cllr Wood said: “Monday was a great day for Henley. However, the battle is not yet over as the club has 21 days in which to appeal. Henley is a welcoming and tolerant town but it is important that our night-time economy conforms to our ethos, is well regulated and is effectively managed. We do not want any sections of our community threatened by crime or even the perception of crime, even if it is as a result of people supposedly enjoying themselves.

“We are all indebted to the police and Sgt Graham Pink in particular for his perseverance and integrity in presenting the data for the last two years.”

In February, Cllr Wood criticised Latino’s owner Leno Borg for hosting children’s parties at the same premises as the strip club.

He was then targeted on social networking site Facebook. A web page called Get A Life Barry Woods (sic) contained comments using language not suitable for a family newspaper.

Ian Whiting, who owns ST Security, which provides doormen at the club, posted two digitally altered pictures, including one of a midget with Cllr Wood’s face hanging on to a lap dancing pole. Mr Whiting, 36, from Caversham, submitted evidence to the panel.

When it was revealed in January 2009 that the club was to open, there was a backlash from residents and councillors, with one saying: “This is Henley, not Soho.”

Cllr Wood, a former Henley Residents’ Group councillor who is now an independent, threatened to hold a protest march unless the district council reversed its decision to grant the licence.

At the time, he said: “It will encourage undesirable people and the seedier elements of life into the town. I’m not a prude or a puritan — I have been to strip clubs and enjoyed them — but I don’t want my face rubbed in it.”

In November 2009, the Policing and Crime Act came into force, rebranding lap-dancing and strip clubs “sex establishments” instead of “entertainment venues”.

Published 26/04/11