Devenish Finaghy videos of male strippers: UK Pleasure Boys XXL - Belfast City Council confirms that special application is required for 'striptease or nudity'

Videos from the event circulated on social media showing a dozen nude male strippers on the stage with a similar number of women, performing actions along to music.

The owner and manager of the act, John Woodward, told the Nolan Show this week that "everything is simulated, there's absolutely no sort of sexual acts going on during the show".

Belfast City Council also told the News Letter that it was investigating the event and could not comment further.

However, asked to clarify the licensing requirements that any bar would need to host such an event, a council spokeswoman told the News Letter that this requires "a separate waiver process" or application which could then go to the council's licensing committee for approval.

She said that the relevant legislation - The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 Entertainments Licensing - stipulates that applications are required "for a waiver to permit entertainment involving striptease or nudity".

It is understood the council may have introduced the special requirement after a public controversy in relation to a high profile lap dancing club on Botanic Avenue some 20 years ago.

DUP Alderman Dean McCullough, who sits on the licensing committee of the council, said he was unable to comment on the Devenish case as it was a live investigation.

However he confirmed that if any bar wants to hold a stripper event they need to apply for a special waiver for nudity and striptease.

And he confirmed that if such a bar holds a stripper event without the special permission, in a worst case scenario, they could stand to lose their licence.

"I can't comment on any specific case as there is an ongoing investigation," he said. "But speaking in general about such cases, if any licensed premises breaches its licence then there is of course due process that can be followed.

"And a number of penalties including losing your licence can result.

"It depends on the severity, it can be fines, or it can also be an agreement to put certain measures in place."

The PSNI has also told the News Letter it is looking into the event.

"Police have received one report regarding an event at licensed premises on Finaghy Road North, Belfast on Saturday, 17th February," a spokeswoman said.

"Officers are currently reviewing the circumstances. As enquiries are ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Police also advised that the granting and enforcement of entertainment licences is controlled by local councils under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1985.

The owner and director of Pleasure Boys, John Woodward, rejected claims from the BBC’s Stephen Nolan that the show was degrading.

"Absolutely not,” he told the Nolan Show on Monday. “You're just giving somebody a bit of release, a bit of entertainment, something they generally don't get anywhere else.

"It's a special event, it's not something you'll see just walking down the street. You pay for a ticket for one of our shows and there's dancing, fire, acrobatics, and then obviously the nudity, which is the ending."

Mr Nolan asked if men leaning their crotches over the faces of women was acrobatics?

Mr Woodward replied: “The video that you have actually seen is the ending where the girls had stormed the stage. This wasn't planned, this was something that just happened at the end of the evening.”

Mr Nolan put it to him that the dancers’ genitalia was touching the women at this point.

Mr Woodward replied: “They were fully nude at the stage when the stage got stormed, so obviously they carried on… it did get a bit out of hand.”

"This was the finale when the boys came out and took a bow and the girls stormed the stage, then they carried on dancing with the girls. They weren't just going to walk off the stage at that point."

He added: “Everything we do, it's crowd participation and everything is simulated, there's absolutely no sort of sexual acts going on during the show."

On Monday the News Letter contacted local councillors and MLAs from Alliance, DUP, Sinn Fein and SDLP for reaction, however none has been offered.

On Tuesday the News Letter contacted the press office of each of the parties for comment about how the matter is being viewed in the local community. Alliance said it could not comment due to the live council investigation.

A DUP spokesperson said, "We are aware this event is being investigated by Belfast City Council and the PSNI. People must have confidence that licensing requirements are adhered to for any event which takes place."

No other party offered any comment.

The Devenish Bar was also contacted for comment.