He faces strict parole conditions including counselling and drug testing, and has been ordered to stay away from Kings Cross. Bill Bayeh was jailed for 15 years for drug trafficking in the 1990s. The 55-year-old sat, seemingly impassive, as his fate was decided, mumbling a barely audible ''thank you, God bless you'' as Judge Terence Christie of the NSW Parole Authority granted him parole after 15 years behind bars. The Good Bloke by Charles Staunton is published by Pan Macmillan and is available from Tuesday, July 23, for $32.99. I want to be left alone. The parole authority believed Bayeh had served a lengthy prison sentence compared to other sentences for crimes of a similar nature. BACK in 1995, John Ibrahim was a brash young nightclub owner who had just come to the attention of the media when he was called before the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service. While construction of those projects wont start until sometime in 2024, city officials confirmed that theyre separately looking at bringing back red light traffic camera enforcement in the nearer term and are in the early stages of exploring a non-police unit to address traffic enforcement. John, it seems, is inclined to oversimplify the details of his existence. Once I was in, the club paid for itself. What Bill did was illegal and unacceptable but he has apologised and served his time and now the fact of the matter is, the two of us know the streets and this is the industry we know. In 1983 the Australian Federal Police tapped over 7,000 of Hakims conversations: 26 corruption investigations involving police ensued. Bayeh was likewise associated with the strongman Tom Domican. Kim Hollingsworth organises a strip show for a police charity. Soon, Kassab becomes Bayeh's "fall guy", holding the money and drugs from Bill's deals. Bill Bayeh and John Ibrahim would go on to play major roles in his life. Impressed by Ibrahim, Freeman offers him a job as a bouncer. Dennis Kelly fights off competition from Gerry lloyd and Sid Hillier for the role of Police Commissioner. While behind bars Staunton secured protection from Canadian bikies through his old friend Felix Lyle and managed to regularly speak on the phone to Bayeh, who was in an Australian prison. It is a rental property, the owner a widow and friend of the family. Pan Macmillan's defence claims it could also be inferred Mr Domican was a violent criminal from a 2002 conviction in Western Australia after he pleaded guilty to threatening to break the neck of a police officer. Many of those who came after Louis Bayeh did not last so long. In return for the bribes, the police would tip off Bayeh about raids on his premises. It wasnt for me. But its not only police. The sun is shining and John is sparkling with good humour. This will not be work that we can complete overnight. Naturally this gave him advance notification of every raid, which could be passed on to those who paid him protection. Everybody knows everybody. Although wealthy, good looking and self-assured, John is, in many ways, an ineligible bachelor. Kim Hollingsworth is expelled from the Goulburn Academy for failing to disclose her work as a prostitute. Sydney's Kings Cross identity Bill Bayeh, 58, has been fined $1,500 He was unaware of the ban from Star Casino when he entered the venue His lawyer on Wednesday told court the businessman was. See more at www.tennews.com.au All times AEDT (GMT +11). They were assisted in this by new laws, such as those enabling them to seize assets that were the proceeds of crime, and institutions, such as the New South Wales Crime Commission (which had been created in 1986), which unlike the police can force people to give evidence. Sydney Crime Museum is an online history of crime in Sydney, which has often affected the lives of ordinary people and popular culture as well as corrupting the processes of policing, justice and government. Judge Terrance Christie says it was significant that the Serious Offenders Review Council supported Bayeh's release, and that it was not common for a first-time hearing. , updated I learned how to read, I learned how to write. And when he speaks, the people around him listen. In the TAB John is asking around after his friend when he gestures to a tall skinny man and says quietly: The worst thing you can be in the Cross is a KX (a protected Commission witness) because everyone knows who you are.. Bicycle guy is a True Blue Aussie! The view from Johns Dover Heights home is breathtaking. All times AEDT (GMT +11). Newcomer Benny Kassab starts dealing drugs in competition with the Bayeh brothers. You get an education at school but it doesnt help you when youre out dealing with people. He must also undergo regular drug and alcohol testing and psychological assessment. Until last year he was involved with a girl whom he had been dating for 10 years. 'On the whole, I loved most of my decade in the New South Wales Police Force,' he writes. After almost a decade working in Kings Cross, the startling revelations of graft, corruption, drug dealing and prostitution are like office gossip to John. In 1987 Hakim was gaoled for six and a half years for his involvement in bribing Corrective Services Minister Rex Jackson to release prisoners early. One of those cases of stolen whisky was subsequently planted in Staunton's own car and he left the force rather than implicate anyone else. Successful criminals who were not arrested often died. Bayeh, 56, was allegedly involved in an argument with Mr Edelsten's ex-wife Leanne Nesbitt, who is a nurse at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney. An angry Kim Hollingsworth returns to Sydney from Adelaide, intending on suing the NSW Police. Im going to shove a dildo up your arse, he allegedly said. As John cruises up and down Darlinghurst Rd looking for a friend, he is greeted with casual waves. His establishments included the Lasers amusement parlour, Porky's strip club, the Penthouse snooker room and the Cosmopolitan cafe - most of which were used as drug distribution centres - as well as brothels and shops across the western suburbs. It didnt end well. Please try again later. A fruit vendor gives him two nectarines for free. People just dont want to go there. He chose to begin business in the Cross because in a different suburb I wouldnt make the same money. I have always stayed away from the drugs and the gambling and prostitution. It turned out McPherson already had a direct relationship with the club, and sent a group of men to throw the new machines into the street. He was also filmed on 12 occasions preparing some 1500 caps of cocaine, valued at $90,000. 'My life has been a bit more interesting than most,' Staunton writes. The Liberal candidate in Kogarah says he capitalised on Opposition Leader Michael Daleys anti-migrant remarks to secure an 8.4 per swing in the primary vote in the Labor stronghold; Mr Daley takes the family to lunch; Bill Shorten says lessons must be learned; and, Labor women praise the Premier. Billy Bayeh was talking to Trevor Haken because he knows I have the respect in the Cross to wipe them out. Respect and a cache of favours awaiting repayment. Released in 2011, Bayehs parole restrictions were such that he was not able to be in the vicinity of Kings Cross and other suburbs, including Woolloomooloo, for three years until restrictions were lifted on July 17, 2014. I couldnt wait to get out of there and get amongst it. 02:50 GMT 23 Jul 2019. Theyve got everything you and I have.. I did what I did and I accept what I did. Aldermanic Board President Megan Green said traffic education and enforcement would be a priority for the next session of the Board when new members are seated after the April elections. He smoked hash, began studying a Bachelor of Arts and converted to hinduism. He was also accused of being in the company of Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto. If Mr Domican is found to be entitled to any damages, Mr Ibrahim argues they should be minimised by his "bad reputation", among other factors. I paid the majority of it later. He describes winning almost $100,000 at Randwick one day and how he and Bill Bayeh turned over millions of dollars a year with a bookmaker. Akela Lacy. Spoils of crime Bayeh's Gladesville home. It is pretty interesting, especially given his history here.. I have worked with some pretty funny people. One of the tensest moments of the hearing came when Redditt Hudson, a former St. Louis police officer working on diversion and alternative sentencing in Gardner's office, repeated accusations that the bill is a racist attack. Hed been cruising its streets since he was a schoolboy, piling into a car with a group of friends looking for action. Youll find we are very boring. I just want to get on with my life, he said. MAIN SOURCE: Blood Money by Clive Small and Tom Gilling; The Prince and the Premier by David Hickie. Not content with his position, Kassab begins distributing drugs secretly. From the Earl Place door to the Tunnel nightclub John can wave at the Kings Cross detectives. Mr Lonergan said the remark dovetailed with comments made in 1999 by Bayeh's sentencing judge, Judge Joseph Gibson, who said he did not believe Bayeh was remorseful for his crimes. 'There was no point in complaining about my sentence. Ibrahim and Staunton saw some 'wonderful tennis' and even enjoyed strawberries and cream. Bayeh was wrongfully jailed for two weeks in 2012 when authorities mistakenly believed he breached parole by travelling to north Queensland. 2023, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. Former policeman and private detective Charlie Staunton, jailed by the Royal Commission for refusing to answer questions about his relationship with Bill Bayeh, is another close friend with whom he has travelled. Soon after that, Karam was killed by his own gang members. He rose from working the doors of nightclubs to mixing with international music stars and rubbing shoulders with Kerry Packer and Donald Trump. Staunton was born in the back of a taxi on London's Fulham Palace Road in 1958 and moved to Australia with his Irish Catholic family when he was seven. I didnt want to be there at one stage.. And that flag should be saluted any time. In 1999 Bayeh was the subject of an attempted assassination outside a restaurant in Narwee. The comments below have not been moderated, By The wars over but the wars still inside the people. When it reopens on Thursday it will have a new image and a new name: Earl Place 1. I just had to waste time and plod along until I got there. Staunton travelled to Atlantic City in 1989 as part of boxer Jeff 'Hitman' Harding's entourage when Harding defeated Dennis Andries for the WBC light heavyweight title. Thats the business were in. Youve got a tape going, havent ya? Bayeh then jumped from his seat, according to the facts presented at the court. Ten years ago Kings Cross was the only suburb open late. His rise from such depths was dramatic. 'I've met the good, the bad, and the ugly, the famous and the infamous, and for what it's worth, there's good and bad in all of them. He took charge of $23million in Montreal and ferried $1million through Turkey into Pakistan wearing spray tan and a dark wig. St. Louis police gather at the scene of a shooting in the 1800 block of Cass Avenue on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022, where police say a man was shot in the chest. Sydneys very small. A telescope is trained on the water. He is based in London and expects to live until he his 100. Traffic violence tears families and communities apart and to those who say that they feel scared on our roads: I hear you, Jones said. Their building also backs onto the street. Hakim got him a job as debt collector with Lennie McPherson, and Bayeh went on to open a gaming club at West Ryde with Hakims approval and then became a major standover man and Kings Cross drug dealer for many years. Please try again later. Johns club The Tunnel is still in chaos after more than a month of renovations but he remains optimistic. He bought a $525,000 house in Gladesville, spent tens of thousands of dollars on luxury goods and showered his wife, Tanya Michael, with overseas trips and expensive gifts. Bill Bayeh was jailed for 15 years for drug trafficking in the 1990s.Nick Moir The court heard Mr Domican accompanied Mr Bayeh, who has since served 15 years in prison for drug trafficking, around the area and "regularly stood outside" the premises where Bayeh's business dealings took place. In London the pair jumped the queue to get into Wimbledon when Ibrahim bought tickets for the 16 tennis fans behind them. 'I'm not running from anything I've done. Dressed in beige jeans and a blue and white checked shirt, John is the quintessential young eastern suburbs entrepreneur. John is still smarting from the cuff across the ears doled out by the Commission when he was hauled into the St James Centre in October to answer questions about his Kings Cross connections. But eventually he saw the writing on the wall, pleading guilty in November 1998 to charges of conspiring to supply commercial quantities of heroin and cocaine between December 1, 1995, and July 24, 1996. John lives here with the Tunnels restaurant manager, who was first employed as a kitchen hand at the club after moving from China to Australia six years ago. Judge Christie noted the Commissioner's opposition, but said the Probation and Parole Service and the Serious Offenders Review Council supported Bayeh's release. Now that the parole restrictions are lifted, Kings Cross is where he wants to be. Bill Bayeh leaving the Wood Royal Commission after his arrest for supplying drugs. Staunton writes of helping solve problems for drug dealers Bill Bayeh, who distributed cocaine and heroin in Kings Cross, and international trafficker Bruce 'Snapper' Cornwell. But on his release from prison his power was much weakened. 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