Police blitz streets after brothel sprayed with bullets

Despite a fusillade of five to six bullets being fired at a Potts Point brothel overnight on March 29, neither Council nor Police seem focused on the incident even though it is next-door to a girls’ boarding school.

There is a history of conflict around the establishment, formerly known as Misty’s, with Council in 2006 forcing its closure after action in the Land and Environment Court and the Supreme Court.

However the brothel exploited a legal loophole and re-opened under the name Mistique’s, adjacent to the boarding dormitories of St Vincent’s College which are used by boarders from SCEGS in Darlinghurst.

Staff at the school say students with a rural background instantly recognized the sound of gunfire and dived to the floor. The boarding premises has several windows in line of sight – and fire – from the street outside the brothel.

The brothel has operated for many years and originally catered to a mainly Japanese clientele. But new owners attracted a different clientele with a noticeable middle-eastern element and that’s when the trouble started, say College staff. Noisy groups in the residential street late at night annoyed sleeping residents and once a laser was shone into the windows of the girls’ dormitories.

That’s when Council joined with the College and residents to close the place.

But last week Council seemed unaware of the gunfire incident and could not specify any plans for further action against the brothel, commenting only that “The premises was given planning consent to operate as a brothel prior to the City of Sydney taking over the area from South Sydney City Council in 2004,” and reiterating the subsequent legal action.

Police meanwhile appeared to be blitzing street people around Kings Cross, arresting several on Friday night and moving groups away from residential areas in Woolloomooloo. On Friday undercover police searched people in Kings Cross and on Saturday morning three Kings Cross police cars blocked a lane on William Street while five police searched a street person without result.

Kings Cross Police Commander Tony Crandell said there had been a number of incidents of more vulnerable members of the street community being stood over by bullies, as well as offences being committed by others including an assault which he had witnessed. He said the aim was to better protect the victims and the way to do it was increasing the street presence of police.

A number of residents with homes had recently made complaints about street people and their concerns were also being addressed.

Regarding the Mistique’s incident, Inspector Crandell said an investigation was underway but there were no suspects yet.