Pavlos Motel guests speak out after alleged assault by convicted woman-basher released detainee

Come inside the Pooraka motel that housed a recently-released detainee who allegedly assaulted a female guest – and read the reviews of those who have stayed before.

The Pavlos Motel stands on the corner of suburban Pratt Ave and the busy Main North Rd in Pooraka.

Described online as the ideal accommodation for travellers heading to the Barossa and beyond, the dated brick motel regularly has vacancies.

There’s a few long-term residents among its 31 rooms, which are a mix of larger offerings for families but are dominated by single or double rooms.

There’s a pool and a barbecue area but no restaurant.

Pavlos Motel on Main North Rd, Pooraka. Picture Dean Martin

Pavlos Motel in Pooraka. Picture: Supplied

One guest described the rooms’ walls as paper thin, her stay with two other women marred by broken sleep as people trudged past throughout the night on Monday.

“The walls are very thin here,” Jo McGowan, from Port Pirie, said.

“It’s not going to be on my list of places to stay again.”

Online reviews describe the rooms as dated and smelling of cigarette smoke, but several mention there have been upgrades and attempts to improve the short term accommodation facilities.

Other reviews also report loud guests, but few mention the din of traffic from Main North Rd.

Several others advise against staying at the property, sharing experiences of not lasting the night after checking in.

Others, still, say it's the kind of place where you get what you pay for – it’s basic but suitable for a short stay.

Rooms come with the bare essentials of tea and coffee, ensuite, a microwave, Wi-Fi and airconditioning.

All rooms are listed as non-smoking.

Pavlos Motel in Pooraka. Picture: Supplied

Pavlos Motel twin room. Picture: Supplied

The entry from Pratt Ave towers above the remainder of the property single storey with a car park fronting Main North Rd and surrounded by a tall fence.

A groundsman toils on the property, hosing out the pool area that separates reception from the motel rooms, and trimming trees.

There’s a white spray-painted graffiti tag on the brick wall fronting Pratt Ave, partially obscured by a tall tree next to healthy rose bushes.

The trees lining the Pavlos Motel front-facing perimeter are pruned and tidy.

Unused fence panels are messily stacked and partially hidden behind a fence at the front of the property where a portable basketball hoop stands.

Two trucks with WA and Victoria number plates are parked up inside.

A pile of vegetation and some rubbish is partially hidden by a steel fence towards the rear, but hidden from guests’ views staying inside the property.

The rear motel rooms open to a green space with a clothesline along the fence which borders neighbouring properties along the quiet Pratt St.

It’s one of the offerings for guests – a pool facing room, or one that overlooks the rear of the property.

Jo McGowan of Port Pirie checks out of the Pavlos Motel in Pooraka. Picture: Tara Miko

Earlier, a Port Pirie woman who checked into the Pooraka motel that housed a recently-released detainee who allegedly assaulted a female guest slammed the government’s immigration policy.

Jo McGowan checked into the Pavlos Motel on Monday, two days after 65-year-old Aliyawar Yawari – once labelled a “danger to the Australian community” – allegedly indecently assaulted a woman at the hotel.

The convicted woman-basher was one of 145 people released after the High Court ruled indefinite detention was unlawful.

He left detention in WA just three weeks ago.

Ms McGowan, travelling with two other women, said she was shocked to learn of the incident at the hotel on Main North Rd in Pooraka.

“You think you’d be safe in a motel room, especially in the middle of Adelaide,” she said.

“This is supposed to be a good state to come visit.

“I thought … people knew where they were and police were following them and making sure they were all right.”

Yawari did not apply for bail on Monday and was remanded in custody to return to court in January.

Documents released by the court revealed Yawari is accused of indecently assaulting a woman at the motel on Saturday evening.

He is understood to have been staying in room eight and the woman in room 26.

Guests at the Pavlos Motel say they had minor, unremarkable interactions with Yawari who didn’t talk much.

One long-term resident at the motel said he saw police arrive but was not aware of the alleged incident until later.

Another traveller from Queensland said he learned of the incident from news reporters, and said the Labor government had a lot to answer for.

“I just think the Labor government has a lot to answer for, for the rulings that they’ve made, or the High Court has made,” he said.

“They’re not standing up a little bit more for the people of Australia for letting those people out into the community

“I think it’s not right at all.

“It’s very frustrating for us as normal Australian citizens.”

Ms McGowan, who checked out of the motel Tuesday morning, said people in detention had “been locked up for a reason” and Australians had a right to know where they were living upon their release.

“Their country either gave them up or they have no country to go back to,” she said.

“It shouldn’t be our problem.

“You see in the news they’re (authorities) are supposed to go out and check where they all are.”

Originally published as Pavlos Motel guests speak out after alleged assault by convicted woman-basher released detainee