Cafe Nino manager Claudio Simonella’s child abuse charges dropped

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has dropped multiple child sex charges against a famed Sydney restaurateur, whose iconic venue has been shuttered for months.

Cafe Nino owner Claudio Simonella (centre) leaves Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday after police dropped child sex charges against him.

A famed Sydney restaurateur’s child sex charges have been dropped less than four months after they were laid.

Woollahra dining institution Cafe Nino’s proprietor Claudio Simonella was charged with six counts of sexually touching a young girl and two counts of assaulting her in April, with the restaurant shut for weeks after his arrest.

At Downing Centre Local Court, a prosecutor for the Crown told Magistrate Miranda Moody all eight charges were to be withdrawn.

The court heard police will still pursue an apprehended violence order for the young former complainant and that matter was adjourned for one week to the same court.

It is otherwise the end of Mr Simonella’s criminal matter, with the charges formally dismissed and his bail dispensed with.

“Thank you, Your Honour,” Mr Simonella said to Ms Moody before departing the court.

Cafe Nino owner Claudio Simonella.

Mr Simonella’s much-loved eastern suburbs restaurant has been a local institution for decades, and in April had been shut for weeks without explanation besides a phone message saying “unfortunately we are closed until further notice”.

“In the restaurant business, dining fads come and go but tradition will always win out in the end. Our tradition stems from the family recipes perfected over generations that we now proudly serve to you, your family, and friends,” the restaurant’s website read.

The restaurant is listed as “temporarily closed” on Google.
Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email [e-mail]