London Man Sent AI-Generated Letters To Shut Down LGBTQIA+ Club

A London businessman has pleaded guilty to submitting false statements, written using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, in an attempt to prevent the reopening of Heaven, one of the city's most prominent LGBTQIA+ clubs. The accused, identified as Aldo d'Aponte, CEO of Arbitrage Group Property, sent two fraudulent complaint letters to Westminster Council, impersonating local residents to block the club's licence reinstatement.

D'Aponte received a 12-month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay financial penalties. His legal team described the act as a "desperate" attempt to maintain the peace his family experienced while the club was closed.

Heaven closed down briefly in November 2024 after a 19-year-old woman accused a bouncer of rape. It reopened after a council hearing, while the worker was found not guilty of the alleged offence. During the council hearing, the officials received the letters via an encrypted email, complaining about the nightclub.

Philip Kolvin KC, a planning lawyer, decided to investigate the authenticity of the letters pro bono. He became suspicious about the letters while acting for the nightclub during the licence suspension. After the letters were put through an AI detection generator, they were identified as almost certainly written using AI. The police eventually traced the IP addresses linked to d'Aponte.

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D'Aponte's lawyer, Saba Naqshbandi, said the businessman, his husband and children had been suffering for over eight years from the constant nuisance caused by the venue. As per D'Aponte, his window overlooked the entrance of the club, and his family was disturbed by the noise of music and customers at the venue.

The short closure brought D'Aponte's family peace and the much-needed relief of constant sleep. However, the prospect of the licence being reinstated was a real concern for D'Aponte, who opted to write the fake letters.

After the court hearing, d'Aponte said he deeply regretted his actions but once again called out the nightclub for the nuisance it creates for the locals

"Heaven and its proprietors need to take steps to better coexist with the local community and protect the safety and wellbeing of its customers, neighbours, and my family," he said.