Teenager, 19, is charged over ‘bomb hoax’ at Peter Kay gig deserted after 45 minutes

A teenager has been charged over a ‘bomb hoax’ that prompted the evacuation of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Friday during a Peter Kay gig.

Omar Majed, 19, has been charged with false communications relating to a bomb hoax, West Midlands Police has confirmed. 

Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, was arrested on the scene and has been remanded to appear before Magistrates in Birmingham on May 4. 

Mr Kay was ‘bundled off stage’ abruptly after 45 minutes into the performance, with the audience told to leave the venue. 

On Friday there were reports that a ‘suspicious’ bag had been found in the vicinity of the 15,800-capacity venue. 

Police confirmed on Saturday no suspicious items were recovered after a search of the site. 

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said on Saturday night: ‘A man has been charged in connection with the events which led to the evacuation of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham last night.

‘Omar Majed, 19 has been charged with false communications relating to a bomb hoax.

‘Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, has been remanded to appear before magistrates in Birmingham on 4 May.

‘An evacuation of the arena was ordered yesterday evening after a report of a suspicious bag being left in the area.

‘Following searches, nothing suspicious was found and we are grateful to everyone for their co-operation and understanding.

‘As always our priority is the safety of the public.’

Mr Kay was performing at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham as part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour. 

Shortly after the 8pm show began, the crowd was abruptly asked to leave with the comedian taken off stage.

Steve Aspinall, from Bideford, Devon, went to the gig with his wife, said he initially believed the evacuation was ‘part of the show at first’.

‘Two guys came on, one with a mic and headphones, one guy whispered to Peter Kay, and then he and Peter Kay shot off down the side,’ he said.

He said the audience was told to look for security guards and listen out for any announcements.

‘To be honest, I thought it was part of the show at first,’ he added. ‘It was a strange atmosphere, eerie, just confused really (about) what was happening.

‘But it was alright and everyone was calm and left quite quickly with no panic.’

Emily Wilson, 34, explained she and her mother, Rayner Wilson, 69, were left with ‘anxiety, panic and tears’ after being evacuated out of the arena tonight.

‘I was at the Peter Kay event tonight in Birmingham with my mother,’ she told the Daily Mail.

‘We were watching the show for about 40 minutes, everyone was laughing and suddenly Peter gets escorted off stage and a stage hand comes on to tell us to evacuate the premises immediately and to follow orders from the arena staff.

‘Everyone fell quiet and confused. My mother, a retired police officer, was immediately scanning and looking for an exit point. Unfortunately, we were at the top, so we knew it would take a while to leave.

She continued: ‘As we got out, I immediately started to panic when I saw road closures outside the arena steps and emergency vehicles.

‘I then heard an emergency worker say bomb scare at that point my mother and I looked for a road where there were no large crowds, and I started running.

‘After five minutes, when we got to what felt like a safer area, even though we could hear sirens and see a lot of emergency vehicles, I burst into tears and felt very sick, my heart racing.

‘We decided not to get the train from New Street but waiting for a taxi to take us to Birmingham international where we left our car to return home to Stratford upon Avon.’

She added: ‘An evening we so looked forward to. With tickets raising money to cancer. A charity close to our hearts. Instead, an evening supposed to be full of laughter was filled with anxiety, panic and tears.’

 

This is a breaking story, more updates to follow