Nine lapdancers are suing a campaign group for filming them at work (Picture: Rex Features)

A group of Spearmint Rhino lapdancers who were secretly filmed as part of an undercover sting have launched legal action.

The nine women are suing campaign group Not Buying It, who sent in two undercover former police detectives to gather video evidence of the dancers allegedly touching customers.

According to UK licensing conditions, there must be ‘no intentional physical contact between performers and customers’ at sexual entertainment venues ‘at any time’.

The dancers, who perform at Spearmint Rhino clubs in London and Sheffield, are claiming their privacy was breached by the ‘secret and unlawful’ filming.


They are seeking damages, as well as the destruction of the footage, which was captured inside the club despite a no filming policy being in place.



Last month, they were granted a High Court injunction to limit any further sharing of the videos.

The injunction will not prevent the clips from being shared with the police or licensing, but can result in a fine or prison time for anyone who breaches it without just cause.

There is a no touching police in all UK strip clubs (Picture: PA)

One of the dancers told The Standard: ‘It’s horrible to think there’s now a video of me dancing naked being seen by people I don’t know.

‘You expect women to stick up for other women, especially if they are making money legally.’

Campaign group Not Buying It, led by CEO Dr Sasha Rakof, alleged the videos show women straddling the men and touching both the customers and themselves sexually during their performances.

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One of the undercover men claimed a dancer told him he could her touch her sexually for £20.

The activists are now calling for a total rethink of the strip trade, stating that the current system is causing ‘immeasurable harm to the women in it’.

Dr Rakof said: ‘The entire industry has yet again been exposed as nothing more than a “brothel light” run by “pimps in suits”.

‘Lap dancers actually have no choice but to provide sexual contact if they want to make even £20. It is perhaps the only industry whose business model means breaking the very conditions under which it is licensed.’

Camden council is investigating claims made by the campaign group, but no date has yet been set for a licensing hearing.

Not Buying It are believed to have given the court an undertaking not to share the recordings more widely and steps were taken to prevent the lapdancers being identified, The Standard reports.

Solicitor Steven Fullman, of Judge Sykes Frixou, acting on behalf of the dancers, said: ‘There has been a clear infringement of our clients’ rights under the data protection regulations.’

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