A convicted sex offender still has links to the lapdancing club he previously owned, campaigners said today.
Sisters Salon told a licensing panel Kenneth McGrath has a loan against company assets including the Pussycat Club.
The club, based at 75 Grand Parade, wants to renew its licence but feminist group Sisters Salon have objected.
McGrath, 68, is on the sex offenders register for life after receiving a three-year prison sentence in 2017 for coercing a vulnerable 17-year-old Brighton girl into having sex with him on his yacht in Majorca.
During today’s meeting, Sisters Salon representative Miz Jakubovic said Kenneth McGrath’s £354,000 loan secured against Saltire Investments Limited’s leases on the Pussycat Club, The Bugle Inn, and a property and mouring in Majorca, showed financial links with the club, which would go against the council’s licensing policy.
Ms Jakubovic said: “As far as we are away this has never been considered as part of the renewal process, where potentially should have been in the past, especially when McGrath was jailed for paying for the sexual services of a child.
“An NSPCC spokesperson said McGrath has been shown to be manipulative and calculating individual who exploited a vulnerable child for his own sexual gratification.”
The panel of three Brighton and Hove councillors – Julie Cattell, David McGregor and Kerry Pickett – heard nearby Pavilion Gardens is a “hot spot for sexual offences”.
Ms Jakubovic also raised concerns about the venue breaking licensing rules with images on its social media linked to the Pussycat Club website, which show nudity and apparent contact between dancers.
She also said public reviews refer to “full service” which Ms Jakubovic said is a well-known term for when men buy sex.
The Valley Gardens regeneration was cited as a reason to refuse the renewal as the city-centre park has changed the area. The venue is also near Carlton Hill Primary School.
Pussycat Club manager Paul Robinson spoke on behalf of the owner Kristopher McGrath – Kenneth’s son – who has been the sole company director since 2016.
The panel heard Kristopher McGrath is rarely at the business which was why Mr Robinson was representing the club at the hearing.
He told the panel that opposing the renewal because the club owner is the son of a sex offender is “wholly unfair”.
Regarding the loan, known as a debenture, Mr Robinson said the loan was taken out in 2012 to refinance residential properties.
Mr Robinson said: “Kenneth McGrath is not profiting from [the club]. More than half of the loan has been repaid and the repayments have been made from the residential property part of the company. Kenneth McGrath is expected to release the debenture during 2025.”
Councillor McGregor asked if that would end any links Kenneth McGrath had with the club, and Mr Robinson said he was reading out a statement from Kristopher McGrath, but that was his understanding.
Councillor McGregor said: “This is the future of the business here, so we have to cover every single area of it.
“If you don’t know something then it’s Kris’s duty to be here to do that.
“I think it’s quite frustrating there’s certain aspects of this organisation that we aren’t able to have proper conversations about because someone hasn’t arrived or bothered to come for whatever reason.
“It is frustration that we can’t get to the bottom of some parts.”
To address allegations about services on offer, Mr Robinson said there is closed circuit television (CCTV) throughout the club which would be made available to police and licensing officers on demand to prove there is no improper behaviour.
As the club is open from 10pm until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays only, Mr Robinson said he did not feel the venue impacted on nearby schools.
He offered to change the signs outside to make sure the nature of the club was less obvious.
In response to questions about dealing with customers who break the rules, ranging from incidents of touching dancers to a fight breaking out, Mr Robinson said they were made to leave and their membership revoked.
The club is open to members only, and new members have to wait for 48 hours after applying before they can attend.
He said there are usually eight to ten customers each night.
Mr Robinson came under fire from the Sisters Salon representatives for referring to the dancers as “girls”.
Ms Jakubovic asked for confirmation they are “adult women”, and he confirmed they are all over 18.
Conditions proposed included dancers being able to report issues anonymously, and ensuring Kenneth McGrath is not permitted on the premises.
The panel, which sat at Hove Town Hall, retired to make its decision, which is due to be made public in five working days.
With 8 to 10 customers two nights a week how does this place make money? I can’t believe 8-10 men a night will pay ‘000s to cover overheads etc.
This raises more questions.
Being open for two days reduces expenses down quite a bit.
I’d be more concerned about Sex Offender links to the council tbh.
This place should be shut down. It creates an unsafe environment for women.
Why are the councillors talking about adding conditions to the licence when the evidence is all there that this club needs to go and they have the legitimate power to do it when residents say no more? The club doesn’t have robust policies and procedures in place, they don’t call the police when licence conditions are broken, the sex offender still has ties through the debenture, BHCC policy is being broken on locality and the Council wants White Ribbon status. You can’t say you want to protect women and girls from harm and objectification and then sanction (while council profits from the licence fee) a licence of a strip club. Come on BHCC, stand up for women’s lawful human rights and assign these awful clubs to the bin of history!
Council officers must know that the “members” of this clubs are not gentlemen. They are coming out of the club teased and aroused. The strippers may be shielded from what these men will do next, but just outside the club are women and girls in the park, in the bars, on the beach .They need our protection more than the reportedly happy strippers need our support .
You are conflating being aroused with being a sex offender. It’s the equivalent of saying everyone who watches porn is going to sexually assault the next person, animal, pole or hole.
Which is, of course, absolutely ridiculous.
the numbers look a bit low, ca customers per week ??