MTV party cancelled over warning of gangland shooting

A music event in the West End of London celebrating the fifth anniversary of an MTV programme has been cancelled by police acting on fears of a gangland shooting.

MTV Base, the company's hip-hop and R&B channel, had organised the event for a show called the Lick at the Equinox in Leicester Square tonight. It was stopped by the Metropolitan Police because of a tip-off. Scotland Yard said that it acted with the promoters to protect the public after receiving "specific information" that an armed gang was planning to attack their rivals at the event, which was sold out.

The Lick club nights were launched by Trevor Nelson, a Radio One DJ, and have grown into an international franchise with events from Amsterdam to New York. MTV Base launched a dedicated Lick chart and show hosted by Nelson in 1998.

Previous acts to perform at the Lick club nights include Destiny's Child, Jay-Z and Ms Dynamite. The London event was to feature leading hip-hop and R&B DJs including Nelson, DJ Hanif and DJ Dodge.

The decision to cancel the event was taken a week after an urgent inquiry was opened into Scotland Yard's handling of a tip-off before the murder of a man outside Turnmills, a club in Clerkenwell, central London.

An anonymous caller to Crimestoppers warned of violence between rival gangs. Promoters refused to cancel the event so police parked an empty patrol car outside the venue to act as a deterrent. Eight black men burst into the club, hosting a party to launch the solo career of So Solid Crew singer Lisa Maffia, and fired several shots.

Sir Anthony Burden, Chief Constable of South Wales Police, is overseeing an inquiry launched after Jason Fearon, 26, was shot dead outside the club. Scotland Yard admitted that there were "lessons to be learnt" from the incident on 21 April. The review would focus on the handling of intelligence, a spokesman said.

Scotland Yard stressed that Crimestoppers passed on the information "accurately and efficiently" to the Operation Trident task force, which deals with black-on-black crime.

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said of the Equinox cancellation: "Officers from the Metropolitan Police have spoken with the owners of the Equinox concerning a specific event on 5 May. We have received several pieces of information in relation to this event, which relates to a group of people intending to commit violent crime at this event.

"The club's owners have agreed to cancel this event and we thank them for their co-operation. We have decided to take this course of action to protect the ticketholders and the general public."

Westminster City Council, which controls licensing of West End venues, has recently reminded clubs of their duty to curb violence. Last year, council inspectors refused to renew the entertainment licence at the Astoria on Charing Cross Road after a spate of brawls, which included shots being fired during a live gig by So Solid Crew.

In nine months, there were 152 calls to emergency services, 27 assaults and 15 further reported attacks at the venue. A report by safety inspectors from Westminster council logged nine violent incidents involving bouncers, including allegations of assault on female clubbers, between September 2001 and May 2002.

A council spokeswoman said that the licensees had "not done enough to ensure public safety at the venue", which has remained open for business despite the threat of closure.