Dream City Cinema Club

Located close to the historic Smithfield Market in Clerkenwell, City of London. The Dream City Cinema Club was an adult cinema screening gay & straight porn films separately in its 2-screens, which were located on the second and third floors of the building (a cafe was located on the ground floor).

On 26th February 1994, an argument over admission prices, broke out in the stairwell involving a deaf man who had been banned from entering the cinema. He returned 30 minutes later with a can of petrol which he poured into the entrance and set alight. The subsequent blaze killed six male customers in the building from smoke inhalation and another died after jumping out an upper floor window. There were also many taken to hospital in a critical condition due to burns, and three of these died later. 23 persons were seriously injured. The arsonist, David Lauwers, gave himself upthree days after the event and was later charged at the Old Bailey court, of 3 counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum of 10-years sentence. He died of a heart attack in prison in 2001.

The cinema was not licenced by Islington Council and was operating illegally.

Since at least 2008 the building has been occupied by a bar named Vinoteca.

Recent comments (view all 1 comments)

Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater.