Man used AI to fabricate complaints in bid to shut down nightclub, court hears

A businessman has admitted using artificial intelligence to generate false statements in an attempt to shut down a London nightclub, in what police say is part of a growing misuse of AI in public complaints and licensing disputes.

Aldo d’Aponte, 47, pleaded guilty to making false representations under the Licensing Act 2003 after submitting two letters opposing the reopening of the Heaven nightclub in central London, which authorities later found were likely written using AI tools and attributed to non-existent neighbours.

The case relates to objections filed during a council licensing hearing following the temporary closure of Heaven, an LGBTQ+ venue in central London, after a rape allegation against a security guard. The allegation was later resolved in court.

According to court proceedings, the objection letters were sent via encrypted email and contained detailed complaints about noise and disruption from the venue. However, a subsequent investigation raised doubts about their authenticity.

A planning lawyer, acting pro bono, reviewed the correspondence after concerns were raised about its unusual tone and structure. When the letters were analysed using AI-detection tools, they were flagged as highly likely to have been generated by artificial intelligence.

Further checks suggested that the named complainants either did not exist or could not be traced to the addresses provided.

Police later linked the IP addresses used to send the emails to d’Aponte.

A Metropolitan Police source said AI-generated fake complaints were becoming an increasing challenge for regulators and licensing authorities, warning that such material can be used to manipulate public consultation processes.

Heaven nightclub had previously had its licence suspended in November 2024 before being allowed to reopen under stricter safeguarding and security conditions.

During the hearing, Westminster council received multiple objection letters, which were initially treated as genuine resident complaints. However, suspicions were raised when inconsistencies emerged in the submissions.

D’Aponte also submitted his own representations to the council, claiming he and his family had endured years of noise and disruption due to the venue’s operations.

His legal representative described the offence as a “foolish and desperate act”, arguing that the defendant and his family had been under sustained stress from the nightclub’s presence and were motivated by a desire to prevent its full reopening.

The court heard that the businessman pleaded guilty to knowingly or recklessly making false statements in connection with a licensing application. The offence carries a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine.

The case has raised wider concerns among legal and policing experts about the growing use of AI to generate convincing but fictitious public objections, potentially undermining regulatory decision-making processes.