', Long-time friend and former Kings Cross nightclub boss John Ibrahim sums up Staunton on the book's cover: 'When Charlie's good he's great. By Its not money thats been laundered. He hated it. ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - St. Louis City SC spent Wednesday afternoon packing up more than 1,600 meals for Operation Food Search. It takes time and a lot of thought.. 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. Hakim expanded his contacts among police and became a general intermediary between them and the underworld. It was difficult to believe that the greying, gaunt-faced man staring out from the audio-visual room at Silverwater Prison yesterday was the same one who once treated the streets of Kings Cross as his personal domain. One belongs to John, the other to a friend. I want to be left alone. His principal once told him he would wind up dead or very rich. Thats always kept me out of trouble the majority of the time.. It didnt end well. I lost everything, lost my family, I lost my kids, all my money, everything. 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. 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. 'You Australians are a hard lot,' Trump said to him. It was one of the first of what was to become a common form of violence and intimidation by Lebanese gangsters. In effect he was saying the detectives had engaged in noble corruption the use of illegal means by otherwise honest police to convict known criminals. We looked like Martians. John believes the shockwaves caused by the Commission have only just begun. This had hardly ever happened before there was an unwritten law among Sydneys criminals that family was to be kept out of business disputes. They are proof of a violent youth but John says simply: Theyre my scars. Weve got so many favours owing to us weve lost count.. All rights reserved. In 1998, after disposing of Danny Karam, drug dealer Michael Kanaan devises a plan to murder John Ibrahim and his bodyguard, Kiwi Steve, in order to divert attention. Then click on any blue marker to find out more. In the mid-1960s he obtained the protection of Lennie McPherson and proceeded to provide protection himself to Lebanese and other ethnic gaming clubs. The Good Bloke by Charles Staunton is published by Pan Macmillan and is available from Tuesday, July 23, for $32.99. Young waitress Kim Hollingsworth turns to prostitution after she discovers her abusive boyfriend Trent has stolen money from her. Russell Townsend, described in Royal Commission evidence as an alleged drug dealer, is a friend and gym partner. Can you turn it up a little, he jokes above the laughter of his friends. She is preparing a guest list for the opening of the club and is using a computer in an anteroom off Johns bedroom. All times AEDT (GMT +11). He drove a prison van to and from court for a year when the Bandido and Comanchero gangs faced trial for the 1984 Milperra massacre, at which six bikies and a teenage girl were killed. John is reticent to discuss the fight that left him hospitalised for three months with a stab wound in the stomach. With a combination of manipulation, violence and a crude but highly effective business strategy, Bayeh developed a 24-hour-a-day operation that effectively monopolised the Kings Cross drugs market in the early '90s, feeding the red-light district's seemingly insatiable appetite for cocaine and heroin. That was another episode when we said `Arent you glad to be an Australian?, Then we came home and the Royal Commission had just started.. Erin Molan defamation claim back in court, Bombshell for MP accused of child sex abuse. He was shot three times but survived. Staunton was again brought unstuck by an undercover cop and was arrested in January 1997 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He faced a parole board hearing for the first time today and the board heard Bayeh has been a model prisoner. We do the same things every day. All you need to do is get your foot in the door, John says. But she then stopped and turned to confront him about comments hed made some weeks earlier, sparking an argument that was recorded on her phone. 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. Policing in the 1960s and 1970s: a memoir. Perhaps the best known gang of the late 1990s was the extremely vicious Dannys Boys, led by Danny Karam, who engaged in knee-cappings and drive-by shootings, including one of Lakemba Police Station in 1998. The Independent Commission Against Corruption rejected the claim, and Bob Bottom pointed out at the time that the detectives accused by Hakim were in the vanguard of anti-corruption efforts. 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. The parole authority believed Bayeh had served a lengthy prison sentence compared to other sentences for crimes of a similar nature. John has only been to his parents country of birth, Lebanon, once. New King's Cross beat constable, Wendy Jones, quickly crosses paths with John Ibrahim and the attraction is mutual. Parole authority orders he not gamble, or frequent the Kings Cross area. After almost a decade working in Kings Cross, the startling revelations of graft, corruption, drug dealing and prostitution are like office gossip to John. Ran the Cosmopolitan coffee lounge in Darlinghurst Road, as well as an amusement parlour, strip club and snooker room. 'On the whole, I loved most of my decade in the New South Wales Police Force,' he writes. Former Kings Cross underworld boss Bill Bayeh has walked free from prison after 15 years behind bars. Mayor Jones said the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department wrote more than 8,000 speeding tickets and 2,700 for signal violations, but said the city had to do more to hold reckless drivers accountable, which is why the city is looking to bring back red light cameras. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Bill Bayeh was jailed for 15 years for drug trafficking in the 1990s.Credit:Nick Moir. According to John, the then owner was being stood over by local heavies and ripped off by his managers. He pleaded guilty to the hindrance charge earlier this month, while prosecutors dropped a second charge of resisting police. Cleverly avoiding direct involvement in violence himself, Bayeh hired a number of standover men, including Karam, a former Lebanese commando, and a group of Tongan martial arts experts to intimidate the other dealers in the Cross into leaving or agreeing to be on Bayeh's payroll. This resulted in the outbreak of a minor ''gang war'', culminating in the 1993 shooting of his brother Louis Bayeh by a rival dealer. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Please try again later. I just want to get on with my life, he said. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. You cant not be there and see whats going on. He extended his criminal activities and eventually became known as the Lebanese godfather. Closed for two months after a minor liquor licensing violation, John took the opportunity to put a fresh face on the club. However, his paranoia is justified as he discovers the Commission has a lot of incriminating evidence against him. I am a Muslim. Chief Inspector Dennis Kelly applies to enter the National Crime Authority in order to improve his resume in the race for police commissioner. This will not be work that we can complete overnight. You need a vibrator up your arse, Bayeh responded. Wrongfully jailed for two weeks in 2012 when authorities mistakenly believed he breached parole by travelling to north Queensland. Bayeh didnt react as he was also given a $400 fine for hindering police. It was a very different image of Bayeh from that of his heyday. Spoils of crime Bayeh's Gladesville home. Tax has been paid on it.. We eat at the same places and we go to the same clubs, he says. He neither drinks nor smokes. Convicted cocaine dealer Bill Bayeh and his brother Louie are old friends of the family. Dressed in beige jeans and a blue and white checked shirt, John is the quintessential young eastern suburbs entrepreneur. John Ibrahim's book, Last King of the Cross. Soon Staunton was moving millions of dollars in cash across continents for the Pacific Mariner Cartel in which he was known by the nickname 'The Prince'. Bill Bayeh and John Ibrahim would go on to play major roles in his life. Within a year the new leader, Michael Kanaan, and some 50 others associated with the gang had been arrested. Police unions have rallied around Missouri Senate Bill 78, which would reinstate a Civil War-era system of state oversight. 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. The comments below have not been moderated, By Staunton had witnessed police corruption since his earliest days on the force and it was internal treachery which. A local bum holds the door open when he sees John, who has been known to sling him a $50 note. Staunton, who was in the Parramatta and NSW police rugby league teams, knew most of the Bandidos and some of the Comanchero from playing football against them. He was arrested in 1996 after giving evidence at the Wood Royal Commission into police corruption. Called to give evidence about his relationship with police and criminals including Bayeh, Staunton refused to speak and was jailed for contempt. If it seems sometimes that he lacks respect for the Commission, its because he does. Convicted cocaine dealer Bill Bayeh and his brother Louie are old friends of the family. 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.'. Naturally this gave him advance notification of every raid, which could be passed on to those who paid him protection. Its money thats all accounted for. Sydney was founded by criminals who for years formed a majority of its population. , updated Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. His friends (and there are many) call him the most wonderful person in the world. John was 19 when he became part-owner of the Tunnel but he had already armed himself with a formidable collection of contacts and friends. 'We also had several wonderful young ladies who were more than happy to purport to being "backing vocalists",' he writes. Id like to think (Im a good judge of character) but then everybody thinks they know something about something. It was in everyones best interests (that I buy into the club), John says. He paid police to protect at least 24 gaming clubs and often entertained police officers. Aware that he is being investigated by the Wood Royal Commission, Dennis Kelly dobs in Jim Egan to investigators. Most often he is alone because, he says, his friends are too impatient for such an unhurried pastime. In return for the bribes, the police would tip off Bayeh about raids on his premises. Followed categories will be added to My News. Missouri's governor would once again have control over St. Louis police under a bill advancing in the state House. "The fatal flaw in this legislation is that it disenfranchises voters in St. Louis," Hudson said. Staunton was first stationed at inner-city Redfern where he witnessed policing practices which quickly made him question his choice of employment. Every job I got was eventually going to lead me to where I am now. 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 think this place is like every other place, I dont see any difference., Of his time in prison, he said: I wasnt treated very human 15 years in jail. Johns club The Tunnel is still in chaos after more than a month of renovations but he remains optimistic. The balcony gives way to a vista encompassing Sydney Heads and a massive expanse of deep blue ocean. Upon his release Staunton took himself to Bali then Amsterdam where he met two mysterious drug traffickers called Bram and Manfred who saw potential in him. So it would seem, but no, I am not, came Johns cocky reply. It was a gift from his grandparents and it keeps his enemies away. Mr Ibrahim's lawyers claim in court documents that Mr Domican, a former ALP figure, accompanied Louis Bayeh to a meeting at the Cosmopolitan Cafe in Kings Cross, where the latter allegedly told Mr Ibrahim, "Who do you think you are, trying to take over the Cross?". But when he's bad he's better!'. 'There was no point in complaining about my sentence. This was surprising because Hakim had had advance knowledge of the raid from his police sources; he later complained the drugs had been planted by Lauer. Bill Bayeh arrested after nurse assault . Everywhere we go we know each other. The Missouri House already passed a similar bill. For more information please click here. Ibrahim and the attraction is mutual Bayeh has walked free from prison after 15 for. His managers Bill 78, which could be passed on to those who paid protection. Entertained police officers believes the shockwaves caused by the Royal Canadian Mounted police the. His parents country of birth, Lebanon, once vibrator up your arse Bayeh... 24 gaming clubs and often entertained police officers a fresh face on the club snooker... ( that I buy into the club and snooker room, who been. Was one of the first time today and the board heard Bayeh has been paid on..... Suburbs entrepreneur, & quot ; the fatal flaw in this legislation is it. Wonderful person in the state House.. we eat at the same,... 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