Rita Ora security’s team are alleged to have demanded that CCTV footage at a swanky restaurant to be turned off for a party that she held, illegally, during the second coronavirus lockdown.
The Masked Singer star came under fire in November when it came to light that she decided to flout the Stay At Home message when London was placed into Tier 4 lockdown before Christmas in a bid to contain the coronavirus.
These rules meant that people in the area were not legally allowed to mix with other households or visit restaurants or pubs which were forced to close.
Rita celebrated her 30th birthday in November at an illegal party during lockdown (Image: Rita Ora/Instagram)
However, the Ritual songstress flouted the government laws and held a private party at Casa Cruz in Notting Hill, West London, on November 28 in order to celebrate her birthday.
In council documents for a licence sub-committee meeting seen by Daily Star, Casa Cruz boss Scottie Bhattarai was asked by officers from London’s Metropolitan Police Service to provide CCTV footage from the night in question but was unable to do so.
He alleged the security for the organiser of the event requested that CCTV throughout the bar was turned off for the duration of the night.
Bosses at Casa Cruz [pictured] allege that Rita’s team asked for CCTV to be turned off during the gathering (Image: Google Maps)
Bhattarai also would not disclose who the organiser of the private party was when asked by Met Police but stated that the arrangement was between him and the organiser, with no other members of staff being on duty during the event.
In a witness statement delivered to The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Police Constable James Larner recalls arriving at Casa Cruz at 11.32pm and hearing music playing from inside the bar.
Rita issued an apology after her illegal celebrations came to light (Image: ritaora/Instagram)
The windows of the establishment had been covered with black paper but small gaps appeared, allowing two police officers to peep through and see several people inside at a private party.
The documents seen by Daily Star state that representatives for Ms Ora reportedly contacted Mr Bhattarai on his personal phone number at 5.30pm, hours before guests arrived at the venue.
The songstress faced further backlash when it emerged she was legally required to be in isolation at the time of her party (Image: PA)
He claims the representative stated Rita and pals wanted to meet somewhere for “nibbles and drinks” before he was allegedly offered £5,000 to flout the lockdown laws.
Rita caused more fury when it came to light that she should have been self-isolating after returning from a work trip to Egypt just several days before her party.
The singer had been in Cairo to perform at a private event on November 21, before jetting back into London and holding her celebrations.
While legislation at the time of her trip stated that she should remain at home for fourteen days, Rita flew home on November 22 and held her party in West London on November 28.
After the news broke of her party, she took to social media to issue a grovelling apology, penning: “Hello all, I attended a small gathering with some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday.
“It was a spur of the moment decision made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lockdown and this would be OK…
“I’m deeply sorry for breaking the rules and in turn understand that this puts people at risk. This was a serious and inexcusable error of judgement.
“Given the restrictions, I realise how irresponsible these actions were and I take full responsibility. I feel particularly embarrassed knowing first-hand how hard people have worked to combat this terrible illness and being fully aware of the sacrifices that people and businesses have made to help keep us all safe.”
Daily Star has approached Casa Cruz bar and restaurant and Rita Ora’s spokesperson for comment.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
