In 1999 Bayeh was the subject of an attempted assassination outside a restaurant in Narwee. His rise from such depths was dramatic. Bayeh pleaded guilty in March in the Downing Centre Local Court to one count of common assault over the February 2015 incident, allowing the full facts in the case to be revealed for the first time, and he appeared back in court Thursday for sentencing. 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. Bill Bayeh was jailed for 15 years for drug trafficking in the 1990s. Bayeh's method was simple. I am just trying to get my life back., Kings Cross underworld identity previously known as the King of the Cross. Staunton was adept at solving legal problems for his associates and became well-known on the Sydney nightclub and music scene. He will be under as much scrutiny as anyone who runs that type of business in the Cross., Another Kings Cross detective added: We have been waiting for him to come up here when his parole conditions finished maybe for a coffee or something. A JP had to sign the warrant necessary for a raid on suspected illegal gaming premises. He is vehement when he says he does not deal drugs. Download it here. Of his now-shelved fruit shop plans, he said: It didnt happen. The employees would be responsible for any charges the police laid. Weve got so many favours owing to us weve lost count.. His friends (and there are many) call him the most wonderful person in the world. Smalltime bouncer Benny Kassab has an audacious plan to become King of the Cross. 'I couldn't wait,' he tells Daily Mail Australia. Danny Karam, a nightclub bouncer who later became one of Bayeh's standover men, remembered that Bayeh was so broke in 1991 he was forced to ask him for $50. It is pretty interesting, especially given his history here.. They were described by a police officer at the time as the biggest drug dealers in Kings Cross. Tax has been paid on it.. Wanting more from life than a nine to five job he joined the NSW Police Force in 1978 when he was 19. After being released from jail, Bayeh initially indicated he was interested in opening a fruit shop. When John changes into a sports singlet for the gym he reveals a worn band which he wears around the top of his arm. Every job I got was eventually going to lead me to where I am now. 'The corrections staff had no idea at all, not a clue, and the frustrations of many a long-serving inmate were relieved.'. FORMER king of the Kings Cross strip, convicted drug dealer Bill Bayeh, has returned to what he knows best strip clubs. The document also alleges Mr Domican threatened an illegal poker machine supplier with violence in 1990 if he wasn't given money and access to the machines; and was sentenced to two months' hard labour in 1988 for possessing an unlicensed pistol. Premier vows to raise standards of states pollies, Liberals used Daley video to their advantage. 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. After leaving school John began working in Kings Cross at the Tunnel Cabaret nightclub. He extended his criminal activities and eventually became known as the Lebanese godfather. While the club is being renovated John keeps up a fitness regimen, working out at the City Gym on Crown St more than four times a week. 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. Mr Ibrahim alleges Mr Domican has a reputation among "members of the Australian general public over the age of 35", NSW Police and the legal community, the building industry, and the pubs and clubs industry as a violent criminal, a standover man, and an associate of underworld figures. As a young constable Charlie Staunton dreamed of one day becoming commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force. The city can now start the design work on the already-completed traffic studies, get that work done by the first quarter of 2024, with construction to follow. There is not much we can do if he is running a legal business, said a police source. All you need to do is get your foot in the door, John says. Bayeh initially claimed ignorance over the recordings and tried to explain his considerable assets by claiming they were the proceeds of gambling wins. One of his bouncer colleagues there was Felix Lyle, who would later become a Bandidos and Hells Angels boss. However, he appeared quite street-savvy and capable of verbal manipulation at all levels.''. Mr Agius persisted: Isnt it the case that you and your brother have filled the gap to the extent to which Mr Bill Bayehs industry has contracted?. After spending the previous night watching videos with friends, John is in a buoyant mood. The green tracksuited figure then stood, turned and was led back to his cell to serve the remaining 19 days before he was officially eligible for release. 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. This is my opinion, sir, believe me on my babys life. But the relationship went through a rocky patch in 1985 when Hakim gave permission for certain men to put gaming machines into an ethnic club. Now that the parole restrictions are lifted, Kings Cross is where he wants to be. John Ibrahim claims Tom Domican was hired to intimidate him. Do the crime, do the time; I just had to get on with it.'. Can you turn it up a little, he jokes above the laughter of his friends. Later, John hitches up his T-shirt to reveal his smooth, hairless abdomen. 2015 Sydney Crime Museum. During a transfer Staunton found himself sharing a van with Ivan Milat, 'puzzled as to how such an insignificant wimp could have terrorised and brutally murdered so many innocent people.'. More like evidence of a botched Police intimidation and harassment campaign!Subscribe to my Telegram channel - https://t.. However, after going on a scuba trip with Ibrahim, Wendy starts to have second thoughts. 'We also had several wonderful young ladies who were more than happy to purport to being "backing vocalists",' he writes. Clive Small and Tom Gilling note in their book Blood Money: Back in prison Bayeh sought special treatment due to the dozen or so medications he was taking for his heart, hypertension, claustrophobia, stomach problems, hernia, sleep apnoea, memory loss, and the stress he claimed to be suffering from the number of contracts said to be out on his life.. While at John Morony jail near Windsor Staunton and another inmate used their music industry contacts to organise a concert for the prisoners. He is also talking about the Royal Commission into the NSW Police Service and the heavy toll it has exacted from Sydneys red light district. Why not, I grew up here, he said when asked why he had returned to Kings Cross. 'My life has been a bit more interesting than most,' Staunton writes. He was accompanied by his brother Louis as he walked past a throng of television cameras and . It didnt end well. 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. That way you can train whoevers in your room to do it, she responds with a smile. In Kings Cross because there were so many people there was a bigger majority. John has only been to his parents country of birth, Lebanon, once. The inmate who took his place was severely bashed by three other prisoners because Staunton's name card had been left on the outer door. Newcomer Benny Kassab starts dealing drugs in competition with the Bayeh brothers. It is a rental property, the owner a widow and friend of the family. Dennis Kelly fights off competition from Gerry lloyd and Sid Hillier for the role of Police Commissioner. KINGS Cross identity Bill Bayeh has pleaded not guilty to assaulting the former wife of colourful businessman Geoffrey Edelsten. "The fatal flaw in this legislation is that it disenfranchises voters in St. Louis," Hudson said. In a statement of claim filed last year, the Irish-born former political and building industry figure claims Mr Ibrahim's book implies he "was willing to be hired to kill people other than the Ibrahims"; "is a violent criminal who took part in gang wars"; conducted illegal gambling; and was involved in the supply of heroin. We used to kick box together. The parole authority believed Bayeh had served a lengthy prison sentence compared to other sentences for crimes of a similar nature. Bill Bayeh was jailed for 15 years for drug trafficking in the 1990s.Credit:Nick Moir. We went to state level.. A major player in last year's Underbelly TV series, Bill Bayeh was jailed for dealing heroin and cocaine from the once-notorious Cosmopolitan Cafe in Kings Cross. What else am I going to do? he laughs. Our contributors include the great investigators Bob Bottom and Al McCoy, and the wonderfully insightful Sydney artist Michael Fitzjames. Everyones miserable. Followed categories will be added to My News. It took decades to build the infrastructure that we use every single day. 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. And that flag should be saluted any time. Louis Bayeh was himself sentenced in 1997 to four years jail for perverting the course of justice. MAIN SOURCE: Blood Money by Clive Small and Tom Gilling; The Prince and the Premier by David Hickie. Later that shift Staunton was told to drive several drunk constables to nearby Moore Park where his colleagues stormed into a toilet block wielding their truncheons at 'poofters'. Please try again later. Bill Bayeh pleaded guilty to assaulting intensive care nurse Leanne Nesbitt The Kings Cross identity got into a heated argument with her early last year Bayeh allegedly made a threat. Sydneys very small. He received compensation for his injuries but will not say how much, just that it wasnt a lot. Under the bond for the Ms Nesbitt incident, Bayeh must continue psychological treatment for a year, Magistrate Graeme Curran told Downing Centre Local Court, noting both matters were at the lower end of seriousness. I went back home for three days (last year) with Charlie Staunton. FORMER Kings Cross drug czar Bill Bayeh is back in strife with the law, arrested twice in three days by police the latest for allegedly assaulting one-time model turned nurse, Leanne Edelsten. He asked them to force out smaller operators, including Sam Ibrahim and Russell Townsend, although it is unclear exactly how much of a role the police played in this. Dressed in beige jeans and a blue and white checked shirt, John is the quintessential young eastern suburbs entrepreneur. And sorry for the victims Ive caused trouble to.. I'd know the stakes and reaped the rewards. On that occasion, Bayeh was accused of tearing up a handwritten drug code when he was searched by police outside the same coffee shop. Danny Karam, a nightclub bouncer who later became one of Bayeh's standover men, remembered that Bayeh was so broke in 1991 he was forced to ask him for $50. It's not hard to understand why. We do the same things every day. 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. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. 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. As John cruises up and down Darlinghurst Rd looking for a friend, he is greeted with casual waves. Ill show you how to do it, she tells John. He was shot three times but survived. Staunton was sentenced to nine and a half years and served three in Canadian prisons where French was spoken more widely than English. I knew them all and they wouldnt have been standing over my business. Mr Ibrahim also alleges Mr Domican opened his coat to display his gun while telling associates he would "take care" of a rival drug dealer on a Saturday night in 1993. What they do for their living and what they do for their business is none of my business. But its not only police. I dont believe in drugs, he says. He supplied the drugs to those working on the front desks of his businesses, who would sell them in return for a cut of the profits. There was not much point in me going to school. Debbie Webb leaves King's Cross police and allies herself with her husband Greg Locke and politician John Hatton. Soon after that, Karam was killed by his own gang members. Soon afterwards he spoke with news.com.aus Editor-in-Chief Kate de Brito, revealing an ambitious young man who wanted to rule Kings Cross. One night he found a naked woman on the meal room table performing a sex act on herself with a police baton while his fellow officers drank cans of beer. Parole authority orders he not gamble, or frequent the Kings Cross area. Johns club The Tunnel is still in chaos after more than a month of renovations but he remains optimistic. He chose to begin business in the Cross because in a different suburb I wouldnt make the same money. I came in there and cut it all out. The clubs turned over close to $6m in the six years its been there. 'The Ten Commandments are a reference point, and thus my life is not complicated, no matter how hard I have tried to make it so. Were working to restore it. February 24 2023, 9:21 a.m. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones . I have worked with some pretty funny people. Successful criminals who were not arrested often died. His classroom became the streets of Kings Cross and like any student, some lessons were hard to learn. 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. I bluffed well for a long time when I was 18. He hated it. He smoked hash, began studying a Bachelor of Arts and converted to hinduism. Ive never sold drugs. The Republican-led House on Wednesday gave initial approval to the legislation. 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