Islington Council shuts-down Kings Cross sex shop

The shop is now closed, the signs are removed and the interior has been refitted for normal trade

The last unlicensed sex shop in Kings Cross has been closed down after prosecution by Islington Council. On 19^th January, Highbury Magistrates Court handed down a sentence to shop operator, David Darbo, ordering him to pay almost £5,000 in fines and costs.

The verdict was delivered after Islington Council had raided DJD Retail Ltd in May 2011. The shop trading as “Pirate Books” was at 4 York Way. The Council seized almost 400 tapes and DVDs of which all except one was rated as “unclassified” by the British Board of Film Classification. The shop’s operator had previously been visited and was told to obtain a license and to comply with provisions in the Video Recordings Act 2010. This did not happen.

Cllr Paul Convery added “As a result of our Council’s tough enforcement action, the shop has now closed. There are no longer any unlicensed sex shops in Kings Cross or anywhere else in Islington. Despite this we need to remain vigilant. Many other forms of sleaze and vice persist in our neighbourhood and we must act against them too”.