The owner of a gentleman’s club has been hit with a fine after a British dancer was “left to die”.
Stacey Tierney, from Withington, Manchester, was working at the Dreams club in Melbourne in 2016, earning money to study nursing.
But just before Christmas that year she tragically died after taking a cocktail of drugs in a private manager’s lounge, the Manchester Evening News reported .
More than 30 hours passed between her entering the room, the only one not monitored by cameras, and her body being taken from the venue by medics, an inquest heard.
Now, Salvatore Aparo, the owner of the club where the Manchester-born dancer died has been fined almost £16,000.
The 29-year-old had told friends she “didn’t enjoy” working there “but the money was good”.
An inquest heard how she was “left to die” after the cocktail, with tests finding evidence of heroin, ecstasy and cocaine in her system.
In the aftermath of her death, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission took disciplinary action against the club.
Mr Aparo, who runs the club with his fiance, told the hearing he accepted “a lot of responsibility” for the tragedy.
The hearing was told how Mr Aparo was a “hands-off” operator, leaving the operation of the club to staff.
Alongside the fine, conditions were added by the commission requiring him to install a 24-hour alarm system to notify him if the alarm was not set within two hours of the venue closing to ensure that no one stayed at the club beyond operating hours.
Mr Aparo will also have to engage an independent risk management consultant to monitor systems, practices and procedures quarterly.
Three men who were present at the time of Stacey's death have also been met with various punishments.
Stephen Kyriacou, then general manager who was drinking with her in the basement, has been banned from being involved in the management of any licensed premises for a year from July 1.
Thomas Mesfun, recruitment co-ordinator of the club who was also present, has been hit with the same sanctions.
Giuseppe Crupi - the club's duty manager at the time - has been disqualified for three months.
"The commission expects venue staff to go back home safely after their shift", she said. "However, in what is a tragic set of circumstances this didn’t eventuate for Ms Tierney and we offer our condolences to her family."
Ms Huntersmith added: "Management and staff regularly consumed alcohol in the Manager’s Lounge and there were no systems in place to control the removal and consumption of alcohol which contributed to the misuse and abuse of alcohol."
Although Mr Aparo was not present during the incident, the commission said he failed to adequately oversee his management team at the time.
"However, we acknowledge the director’s remorse and since 2017, he has had visibility into all the operations of the business, including implementing practices, policies and procedures to protect staff, contractors and patrons,” Ms Huntersmith added.
The commission also noted that the combination of other inquiries and Covid meant that the matter had taken a long time to come to hearing.
He said that while he accepted a “lot of responsibility”, that it could only go so far. Asked if he put his trust in the wrong people, Mr Aparo said: "We all learn by our mistakes."
