The Snitch: Bankrupt gym owner Ben Ezekiel accused of training clients in garage

Rose Bay locals have accused a bankrupt ex-gym owner of running his new fitness venture out of a garage, claiming there is “grunting, yelling and wahooing” from 5am most days.

A gym owner whose stoush with high-profile investors in a boutique fitness chain was the talk of the eastern suburbs is ruffling feathers again.

Ben Ezekiel was half of the duo behind the successful BeFit Training chain, which started in Double Bay and branched out to Adelaide and Melbourne.

Ben Ezekiel pictured with wife Domino. Picture: Instagram

It attracted investment from the likes of former AFL superstar Josh Gibson. He was one of multiple investors who alleged their shares in BeFit were drastically reduced without their knowledge.

Mr Ezekiel, 34, resigned as a director in May amid the dispute over the state of the company’s finances. He was declared an undischarged bankrupt in October.

It appears the Rose Bay man has been getting back on his feet.

The Snitch was contacted by sleep-deprived locals about a new fitness venture Mr Ezekiel was allegedly running out of a garage underneath his unit block.

Waverley Council has received a stream of complaints from neighbours about early-morning and sustained “grunting, yelling and wahooing” coming from the garage and the driveway most days.

Ben Ezekiel resigned as a director of BeFit in May.

“There are residents who have young children and are woken up every morning from 5am when he starts training clients in his garage,” one resident said.

“We’ve tried to discuss it with him and understand he is getting back on his feet.

“But this is a residential area — he can’t run a commercial business.”

A council spokeswoman said the matter was still under investigation.

“Should evidence of illegal use be established, action will be taken as per the provisions of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979,” the spokeswoman said.

Mr Ezekiel’s lawyer denied the claims.

FACETIME FUNERAL

When you’re the state’s most notorious inmate, ain’t nothing going to get you a leave pass from Supermax jail.

Even your father’s death.

But it didn’t stop convicted murderer and all-round bad guy Bassam Hamzy from trying.

Bassam Hamzy in Goulburn Supermax in 2017.

We are reliably informed Hamzy made a request via Corrective Services for permission to leave jail to attend a memorial service for his father, Khaled Hamzy

Khaled Hamzy, also a convicted criminal, died in August from natural causes.

A service was to be held at one of the Hamzy relatives’ homes in Auburn (which has been the target of a drive-by shooting in the past).

But given Hamzy’s track record of non-compliance — smuggling phones into maximum security, ordering kidnappings from jail, and allegedly manipulating legal privilege to get messages to the outside world — there was no way law enforcement was going to
let him stroll down a street in Western Sydney.

When that was knocked back, it is understood another alternative was put forward — FaceTime.

FRESH FACE

A changing of the guard is on the cards for the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.

It’s rumoured State Crime Command is about to welcome its second female squad leader (out of eight squads) in 2021 when Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec retires.

Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney with veteran police volunteer Alistair in 2017.

Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney has been asked to step in as the boss of the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad.

She is currently the operations manager for the Central Metropolitan Region and was previously the crime manager at Eastern Beaches.

Senior police have welcomed the idea of bringing in a fresh face to SCC, and described Supt Maloney as extremely competent and a “good operator”.

Det Supt Kerlatec has been the boss of the squad, which makes more arrests year on year than any other team at SCC, for the past several years.

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