Kings Cross strip club owner fails to overturn ban on entering his own ‘high-risk’ venues

A Sydney strip club owner has failed in a bid to overturn a ban on entering venues – including his own businesses – in the nightlife precinct of Kings Cross.

Manthos Papadopoulos, the owner of Sydney Elements and Showgirls, was banned by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority in July after a request from New South Wales police, the NSW civil and administrative tribunal said in a decision published on Monday.

Under the ban, Papadopoulos was prohibited from entering or remaining in any high-risk venue in the Kings Cross and Sydney CBD entertainment precincts for 12 months. Both the venues he owns are considered high-risk, the tribunal heard.

On 15 March, Papadopoulos was arrested and charged with seven offences, including the serious indictable offence of “intentionally choke the person without consent” following an incident at Sydney Elements.

He was also charged later that month in relation to other alleged incidents at the same club, and at his home.

During one of the incidents, he was alleged to have used his penis to slap a highly intoxicated staff member in the face.

Other offences were also allegedly committed against her and another employee at Sydney Elements.

Papadopoulos is expected to defend the charges, which the tribunal said were listed before court for a hearing in March next year.

During a police interview on 15 March, he did not make any admissions in relation to the offences but stated that the CCTV footage was “AI-generated and a conspiracy”, the tribunal found.

Later that month, Papadopoulos was also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after an incident involving a man whom he described as an “intruder” in Sydney Elements.

The tribunal heard that the alleged victim was found inside the club while employees were working but before it was open, and was confronted by Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos allegedly pushed him against a wall, threw him to the ground, punched and stomped on his torso, and then kicked him in the face with such force that he fell unconscious. The tribunal heard a defended court hearing in that matter would be held next month.

In submissions to the authority after it informed Papadopoulos he would be hit with an order, the club owner told them he had entered a not guilty plea in relation to the alleged offences and was entitled to a presumption of innocence.

The tribunal also found that in the submission he said he was a 53-year-old of good character with no prior convictions for matters of violence. While NSW Police contended he posed a risk of reoffending, such concerns were not accepted by the court given his bail conditions did not prohibit him from attending Sydney Elements.

In his application for a review of the long-term banning order, Papadopoulos said it had “an immediate and substantial impact on my livelihood, as it prevents me from entering venues associated with my employment and business interests”.

“The order was made on the basis of charges that have not yet been determined by a court. Those criminal proceedings remain before the court,” Papadopoulos said, according to the tribunal.

“I hold relevant evidence, including CCTV footage, photographs, communications, and witness evidence. I respectfully request leave to file and rely on this material in accordance with the directions of the Tribunal.”

He also said he had invested more than $17 million in the Sydney Elements business.

Dr Thalia Gordon, the senior tribunal member hearing the application, said that while Papadopoulos’ evidence was that both venues were heavily reliant on his attendance and management, and that his family were similarly reliant on income from the venues, he did not provide “logically probative evidence of his family’s financial reliance” on the business.

“I am satisfied that if Mr Papadopoulos attended Sydney Elements or Showgirls, there is a sufficient risk that he could engage in trouble-making behaviour and cause a problem for the licensee and manager of both venues”, Gordon found.

Papadopoulos remains banned from the precincts until next July.