Sexual offences inside licensed venues reach shocking new levels as hotspots revealed

Sexual offences inside licensed venues across the state have reached record levels, as it can be revealed one in every four incidents in the last year happened inside a licensed venue in the Sydney CBD.

Karen Bevan pictured speaking at the domestic violence rally in Sydney's Hyde Park. She said domestic violence assaults had risen more than 40 per cent in five years. Picture: NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Sexual attacks inside pubs and clubs across the state have reached record levels, as it can be revealed one in every four incidents in the last year happened inside a licensed venue in the Sydney CBD.

The latest data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) reports the number of sexual-related attacks in the last two years has reached devastating new heights, with 372 offenders convicted of a sexual offence inside a pub or club in the 2022/2023 financial year, with a further 369 incidents reported in the last financial year.

The figures over the last two financial years are the highest statistics reported in the 29 years of records from the NSW BOCSAR, with more than double the number of incidents reported in the last financial year compared to ten years ago.

Full Stop Australia chief executive Karen Bevan said reports of sexual assaults in NSW had risen more than 40 per cent over the past five years.

“We may be seeing the impacts of alternative reporting options or a growing awareness of sexual violence at a community level, however, we cannot discount that sexual violence incidents are on the rise,” she said. “This remains a critical issue in NSW and Australia-wide.”

Full Stop Australia provides around-the-clock trauma-specialist phone and online counselling for victims, supporters, and frontline workers.

Ms Bevan said while it was exciting Sydney’s nightlife was being revived, “no one wants a night-life industry where sexual violence is regularly ignored, normalised and condoned”.

She said Full Stop Australia had established a ‘Good Night Out training program’, with calls for the sexual incident handling guidelines to be rolled out across the state.

The shock rise in incidents of sexual attacks inside the state’s pubs and clubs comes as the NSW Government is set to install major reforms to responsible service of alcohol laws, with mandatory sexual violence prevention training following a raft of sexual assault allegations at Sydney restaurant group Swillhouse.

Aref Pandamooz

The claims of sexual assault at the popular restaurant group come after Iranian man Aref Pandamooz pulled a young woman into the men’s cubicle of a different nightclub and raped her in the early hours of May 18, 2019.

He was found guilty and sentenced to serve four years behind bars, after pleading not guilty to one count of rape and one of aggravated sexual assault, before a failed attempt to quash the conviction in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.

Meanwhile, Sydney life coach Serge Zhura was found guilty of groping women in two separate incidents in March and May 2022 at the Ivy Nightclub and Bungalow 8.

He pleaded guilty to sexual touching, assault, resisting police, and failing to leave a licensed premises.

Zhura was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order over the sexual touching charge, along with a 12-month community corrections order for assault.

The life coach failed to appeal the conviction but was subsequently resentenced to an 18-month and six-month conditional release order.

Serge Zhura, Sydney Life Coach

In May last year, Eastern suburbs man Jayden Hedt – once dubbed as a “sexy paramedic” online – avoided a criminal conviction after pleading guilty to sexually touching a woman in the vagina area, without her consent, during a night out on the rooftop of the Potts Point Hotel.

The woman came to him to complain after his friend allegedly grabbed her breast at the hotel, before Hedt then said to the victim “what about this?” and touched her genital area through her clothing.

Jayden Hedt appeared at Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday, May 18.

The court heard the victim left the venue “distraught” with Hedt later arrested and taken to Kings Cross police station where he was charged.

The 20-year-old was sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order without conviction.

Sex Crimes Squad commander Rachel Fawcett told The Sunday Telegraph the squad work with victim advocacy groups for a “victim-centric, trauma-informed response to sexual violence”.

“Reporting has increased for a number of reasons including better education, the introduction of reporting options, and confidence to come forward to police,” she said. “It is important to remember other variables may also be responsible for a statistical increase, including the lifting of lockout laws and COVID restrictions.

“Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual offence is encouraged to report the incident to police. The public [is] reminded that police will only ever investigate a sexual offence as far as the victim is comfortable.”

OFFICERS IN PINK ON SLEAZE PATROL

A Sydney nightclub has all but stamped out incidents of sexual harassment, assault and “unwanted advances” after rolling out a series of safety officers in pink high-vis vests.

Darlinghurst’s Club 77 rolled out the ‘safety officers’ program in 2022, catching global attention, to prevent sexual harassment and violent incidents on its popular dance floors.

Pictured at his venue in Sydney is Club 77 owner Dane Gorrel. Picture: Richard Dobson

Music Director Dane Gorrel told The Sunday Telegraph the high-vis program at the inner-city venue had resulted in a “safer clubbing experience” for patrons who frequent the nightclub weekly.

“All of our security and safety officers undergo specific training to ensure they can identify incidents before they escalate,” he said. “By having this designated safety officer role, it’s demonstrates our commitment to our patrons, staff and performers safety and wellbeing every time they attend our venue.”

Co-Owner of Club 77 Timothy Poulton pictured at Club 77 in Darlinghurst. Picture: Damian Shaw

The venue, which has operated in the Sydney CBD for 25 years, hires and trains its security “in-house” to ensure its guards are well-equipped to deal with incidents of sexual harassment and assault.

“It’s working extremely well at Club 77 and we’d love to see it implemented across the state.”

Mr Gorrel’s push for other venues to rollout similar safety officer programs comes as NSW Night-Time Economy Minister John Graham said changes to RSA laws would mean hospitality staff will have a role to play in eliminating sexual harassment and sexual violence in the state’s licensed premises.

Club 77 in Darlinghurst.

“We all need to work together to ensure that our nighttime going out experiences are safe for patrons and workers.”

The changes will also see tighter requirements around the reporting of drink-spiking allegations, as NSW BOCSAR stats revealed the number of reported incidents had more than doubled in the last year across the state to 238 in the 2023-24 financial year.

Contact the NSW Sexual Violence Helpline on 1800 424 017.