Teenager in custody after ‘bomb hoax’ halts Peter Kay performance

A Peter Kay show was evacuated on Friday night after reports of a “suspicious bag” were made at the comedian’s venue.

Kay, 52, had been performing at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham for around 45 minutes when he was abruptly bundled off stage.

The audience was then evacuated from the building as police arrived at the scene.

A 19-year-old man has now been arrested on suspicion of a bomb hoax offence.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “Following searches of the Utilita Arena last night no items of a suspicious nature were found.

“A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a bomb hoax offence and remains in custody this morning as our enquiries continue.

“We're grateful to everyone for their co-operation and understanding.

As always our priority is the safety of the public.”
Eyewitness Steve Aspinall, who was at the gig with his wife, said: “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 the audience was then told to look for security guards and listen for any announcements.

“To be honest, I thought it was part of the show at first,” Mr Aspinall, who lives in Bideford, Devon, said.

“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.”
Miranda Richardson , 52, a pub landlady from Northampton, said: “It was very swift.

“One minute (Peter Kay’s) on stage and the gig is great, then two of the event team walk on stage straight to him, quick word and he’s ushered off.

“The staff tells us due to unforeseen circumstances we all have to evacuate the arena straight away.

“Staff helped get people out and it was calm and swift.

We heard very quickly someone had claimed a bag had been left somewhere.

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“No messing, it was just all out.”
The venue said: “Following the precautionary evacuation of Utilita Arena Birmingham during Peter Kay’s performance last night, Friday 1st May, we can confirm that tonight’s Peter Kay event, Saturday 2nd May, at Utilita Arena Birmingham will go ahead as planned.

“Following an extensive search by West Midlands Police, no items of a suspicious nature were found, and the building was determined to be safe.

“West Midlands Police are satisfied with the security measures in place.”
The arena added: “We would like to thank the attendees of yesterday’s Peter Kay event for their cooperation, which ensured a swift and safe evacuation.

“Ticket holders for yesterday’s Peter Kay performance will be contacted with the next steps from their original point of purchase.

“At Utilita Arena Birmingham, the safety and security of our customers and colleagues is always our first priority.

“Our security measures include several overt and covert security measures, so whilst you may not see all operational security activity, you should be assured that it is ongoing.

“Our Evolv security system uses advanced sensors and AI technology to screen everyone and their bags as they enter the arena, helping security teams identify potential threats quickly and accurately, supported by additional bag searches as required.”