Burwood fire: Fadez Barbershop destroyed in deliberate blaze
An inner west barber shop gutted by fire in an arson attack has been linked to a rap and hip hop manager who owns a hair studio registered to the destroyed shopfront. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the owner.
Police & Courts
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An inner west barber shop gutted in a pre-dawn arson attack has been linked to a player in Sydney’s street rap scene.
Tom Biordi goes by the name “Lowkee” in his career as a talent manager in the city’s burgeoning rap and hip hop music market – his clients have names like Youngn Lipz, DJ Discretion and Pistol Pete n Enzo.
Company records show Mr Biordi directs and co-owns Fadez Hair Studio, a company registered to the same Burwood shopfront which was rammed by a sedan and set-alight at around 1.20am today.
Mr Biordi showed up to the scene to survey the damage today and did not comment when approached by The Daily Telegraph.
A colleague of Mr Biordi told The Daily Telegraph Mr Biordi had recently sold the Burwood barber shop.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Biordi.
George Paspalas, who owns nearby café Mrs P’s said he also heard the business had been sold and his customers were speculating about the cause of the fire.
“Whether or not it’s linked to other businesses, I have no idea,” he said.
Police have released CCTV footage which shows a silver sedan drive along George St in the dark before it does a U-turn and leaves just seconds before the salon bursts into flames.
Burwood Police Detective Superintendent Paul Devaney said the attack was a co-ordinated and “targeted” hit on the shop which caused about $500,000 damage.
“Two vehicles describes as silver-grey sedans were seen to drive up to a hairdressing salon … one vehicle was seen to force entry to the premises by reversing into the premises that then left,” Det-Supt Devaney said.
“An occupant of a second vehicle was then seen to enter the premises and a short time later as they left the premises in the second vehicle the premises was engulfed in flames.”
It took seven fire crews around 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control, NSW Fire and Rescue Inspector Graham Moore said.
“We’ve got a fire investigation team down there with canines that can detect accelerant, what I can say about that is they’re getting some really good results,” Insp Moore said.
Biordi – or “Lowkee” – told a hip-hop podcast last month he chooses the artists he manages based on their potential.
“If I’m going to invest time and money into an artist, they really have to get my attention. When I sign an artist, I never sign them as they are now but I look at their potential,” he said.