Her evidence to the Commission was essentially as a former employee of Sydney crime boss and brothel manager, Mr. Pandelis Karapis, otherwise known as 'Fat George'. She worked for him in 1991-2. In terms of organized crime, Karapis was one of the bigger fish caught by the Royal Commission. As a result of the evidence of XXX Name Deleted XXX and another witness (known as KX7) he was sent to jail.

Karapis owned a number of brothels and shooting galleries, both of which are in theory illegal in New South Wales. He paid for well established Police protection. He also brought in 'pure' heroin and cocaine from Thailand as imports which were being cleared at the Australian end by customs officers he was also paying off. Karapis was part of a cartel or brotherhood that controlled a sizeable slice of the Sydney drug trade in cahoots with bent Police, judicial figures and other people in key positions of power. Throughout the relevant period and in spite of his wide business interests, Karapis also managed to claim an 'invalid pension'.

Karapis ran a so-called brothel at the Cross called the Pink Flamingo, which instead of being a brothel was used mainly as a drug dealing centre for junkies in the area. The girls who worked there were kept prisoners and not allowed to leave the building, which was kept totally sealed and guarded by heavies 'Greg','Garry' and 'Gazza'. All were forcibly hooked on smack and by controlling supply of the drug to the girls, Karapis was able to also get the girls to do what he wanted.

Sure there was sex going on in the 'brothel', but compared to other establishments in the area, business for sex was fairly quiet.

The girls, some aged as young as 15 were made to have sex to pay for their drugs and Karapis kept them prisoner ostensibly so that they could repay their drug debts. Most of the girls were only ever paid in heroin. Eventually as the girls became increasingly drug addicted, more and more wasted and harder to control, Karapis and his men would dispose of them, usually by killing them. This was usually done by hotshots or OD's. The Police would then recover the bodies and cover the whole thing up.

The three heavies, who usually did whatever Karapis told them and Karapis himself also seemed to enjoy bashing up (male) clients and robbing them. This was the only time they ever came under Police attention. Their friends in the force would come in and tell them to 'ease up a bit', but in spite of this, they always covered for them. The Police simply complained about being forced to act and told Karapis and his men to stick to the drug trade instead so that no one else would complain.

One girl, (KX7) escaped from the Pink Flamingo but was forced to work the street to support her drug habit. She was found by one of the drug runners. Then she was kidnapped and taken back to the brothel where she taken to an upstairs bedroom. Here she was gagged and beaten continuously for three days. Everyone else in the building could hear her screams and wailing, the gag attempt failing to silence her.

While this went on, KX7 was tied to a bed and Karapis threatened to cut off one of her breasts with a large knife that he held to her throat. She was anally raped with a coke bottle, handcuffed to fridge and then forced to give oral sex to Mr. Karapis. She was then raped in other ways and forced to watch a friend who had 'misbehaved' get bashed and raped. Karapis told the other girls that the girl who had run away was going to be killed.

The punished girl escaped again and this time sought hospital treatment for her injuries. However because of her drug habit was forced to return. This time she was accused of stealing drugs and was again bashed and further abused. This included rapes, and having lighted cigarettes stubbed out on her. Again she was handcuffed and after this was given a hotshot although somehow she survived it. KX7 managed to escape a second time. She was then arrested by Police and thrown in jail for three months. After her release, 'Tony' from the Pink Flamingo saw her in the street and said,

A 17 year old girl escaped from the brothel to work in a strip club. There she was kidnapped by the heavies and taken back to the Pink Flamingo where she was based and raped continuously for three days. She was unable to work after that so was killed.

XXX Name Deleted XXX, who was witness KX8 at the commission started working in the brothel after she arrived in Sydney. She was aged in her late teens and needed some money fast. A lady she knew worked as a 'receptionist' there and told XXX Name Deleted XXX she'd do well there. Karapis took an immediate fancy to her and treated her somewhat differently to the other girls. Although he attempted to get her hooked on drugs, she refused and within a short period became trusted by him.

XXX Name Deleted XXX's room later became the place where drugs were cut and stored as they knew she could be trusted not to use them. The drugs were usually stored under her bed.

Although the men would routinely move the drugs to different hiding places, this wasn't to hide them from Police. You see there was no risk of a raid. Instead, it was to make sure that the other girls in the parlor didn't steal and use them.

XXX Name Deleted XXX while privy to the bashings, drug dealings, paying off Police and other illegal activity found she was not in a position to do anything about it. She also feared for her own life. Finally made her escape when she told Karapis that she needed to go out and buy some clothes. Instead she went to a car yard 'bought' a car and drove it to Victoria. Her father then destroyed the car so that no one could trace it.

Still living in fear she gave evidence before the NSW Police Royal Commission in 1995. In her 'confidential' interview with investigators on May 17, 1995 she was told that she'd give evidence under an assumed name (KX8) and that the only person to see her give evidence was Justice Wood. The hearing was to be 'in camera'. Prior to her appearance to the commission XXX Name Deleted XXX made a detailed statement (which was supposed to be kept confidential) of what she knew of and had experienced during her time at the Pink Flamingo.

According the XXX Name Deleted XXX it turned out that this statement was corruptly leaked straight back to Karapis who was similarly tipped off as to when XXX Name Deleted XXX was to give her evidence to Justice Wood. Instead of the hearing being 'in camera' it was 'public'.

XXX Name Deleted XXX walked into the court room to give her evidence. She had been sworn in under her supposed pseudonym KX8. After giving evidence for several minutes she saw Karapis sitting in the public gallery. XXX Name Deleted XXX knew her cover had been blown. She panicked and complained that she'd been betrayed. Wood realized the gravity of what had happened and immediately promised her full witness protection. Because of XXX Name Deleted XXX's repeated protests, Wood was forced to reaffirm this promise several times.

This is also recorded on pages 7700 and 7701 of the official transcript, e.g. Wood himself saying,

XXX Name Deleted XXX was also in a position where she couldn't retract her evidence, thereby avoiding Karapis's wrath. You see the Royal Commission had threatened her with perjury should she attempt such an act. She was now an exposed whistleblower and could see she was going to pay the price.

Although Karapis was eventually jailed as a result of the Royal Commission, XXX Name Deleted XXX noted that the term of imprisonment was remarkably short considering the gravity of his alleged offences. She later alleged that the short term was a result of a corrupt deal done between Karapis, Royal Commission staff and NSW Police.

If you ask XXX Name Deleted XXX, you'd probably think so.

XXX Name Deleted XXX sought her Police protection and was told to move out of NSW and effectively 'hide'. She did this by moving to Geelong, which is where she had friends and family. Her dad, Karl Harald XXX Name Deleted XXX worked as a prison officer at Victoria's maximum security, Barwon Prison (refer to Victoria Police Corruption - 2).

By consent her identity was suppressed, in terms of her public housing, driving licence, Medicare details, phone numbers, etc. This was to make her untraceable. The Victoria Police was by arrangement to have 'duty of care' on her and to look after her welfare as long as was necessary.

XXX Name Deleted XXX also had a young son, Cameron, whom she had to support and the Royal Commission had also promised her that his welfare would also be safeguarded.

Almost as soon as she moved to Geelong her world fell apart. The Department of Human Services seized her child and told her she couldn't have it. She also found herself under Police harassment.

It started one day when she was driving home. A Police car was following her. As she got out of her car, the Policeman driving the car put on his sirens and told her to speak to him. He asked a series of questions along the lines of her name and address, what she was doing and so on. The Police officer then asked himself inside. She refused.

Over the following weeks there were several such incidents. When she complained to an Inspector at Geelong Police station, nothing happened. Thus instead of Police protection, she was now getting Police harassment. XXX Name Deleted XXX wrote to the Victoria Police, Ombudsman Barry Perry and the NSW Police Royal Commission for the protection she had been promised … and without the Police harassment.

All duck-shoved her complaints, with the result being that she didn't get the Police protection she sought, or an end to the sexual harassment by Police. In a letter dated 20th November 1996 to XXX Name Deleted XXX's lawyer, Greg Smith, Gary Crooke QC, Senior Counsel for the NSW Police Royal Commission wrote 'I note that you have been instructed by Ms XXX Name Deleted XXX that the Royal Commision offered her full witness protection. I can assure you that no such promise was made to your client.'

It was Crooke that was lying, not XXX Name Deleted XXX (refer to Wood transcript pp. 7700-7701 quoted on the previous page).

Now with no money or for that matter, even an education, XXX Name Deleted XXX started to work as an escort and at a massage parlor. A co-worker, Ms. Clare Bennett allegedly stole some goods that belonged to her and her son.

XXX Name Deleted XXX went to the Geelong Police station and asked for help. She spoke with Senior Constable Kevin Dowdell who instead of cooperating with XXX Name Deleted XXX, instead allegedly sought to have sex with her. She refused. During the original interview, XXX Name Deleted XXX described Bennett as working at Merlin's Massage Parlor and being instantly recognizable by her extremely large breasts, described as an 'I cup'.

Dowdell who also appeared to be very drunk at the time, seized upon this and asked XXX Name Deleted XXX to take off her top and show him her breasts so that he could see what size breasts she had. XXX Name Deleted XXX replied she was a 'B cup' and that she wouldn't oblige.

XXX Name Deleted XXX then went outside the Police station to have a cigarette and also to get away from Dowdell. He followed her and both got into her car. XXX Name Deleted XXX was panicking and drove to a nearby milkbar for help.

She walked in, made a phone call to her boyfriend for help and after the phone cut out, got back in the car, where Dowdell was still sitting.

Dowdell allegedly made a series of sexual advances, the result of which was that XXX Name Deleted XXX planted her foot on the floor and sped as fast as she could down Mercer Street and then eventually the freeway towards Melbourne.

She later recalled 'I did 170 to 200 k's most of the way' and that she wasn't concerned about getting pulled up by Police 'as I had one in the car and he kept saying that he'd do anything for me'.

XXX Name Deleted XXX later recalled,

XXX Name Deleted XXX then drove at high speed towards Melbourne, eventually finding herself outside the Melbourne Police Complex at the World Trade Center when she screeched to a halt and hit her horn as hard as she could. Other Police came over and XXX Name Deleted XXX thought the ordeal was over.

XXX Name Deleted XXX then lodged a formal complaint against Dowdell alleging that he didn't take her initial complaint about the theft seriously, he asked to see her breasts, he asked her to get undressed, he repeatedly stroked her, he repeatedly told her he loved her and so on, even though they had never previously met, his actions were illegal and unethical, and his behavior was unethical and ungrounding.

Police were at a loss as to what to do. There were independent witnesses to what had happened, including the milk-bar owner in Geelong and XXX Name Deleted XXX's boyfriend. They could hardly charge her with 'kidnap' as it was their officer who'd forced his way into her car. Furthermore if they brought traffic charges against her for speeding and running red lights they could well end up with egg on her face if she got media attention should the matter end up in court.

In short, charging her with anything wasn't a viable option. Because Dowdell was a Police officer, he couldn't be charged with attempted rape. As seen from the Maryborough matters, rape laws don't seem to apply to Police.

A year after the incident, 3 July 1998 to be exact, Inspector Ray Holt of ESD wrote to XXX Name Deleted XXX and gave her a summary of ESD's so-called investigation by Detective Senior Sergeant Penno of ESD. He'd spoken with ten Police and three civilians as part of his inquiries. Dowdell was charged with the internal offence of 'breach of force discipline', which was 'proven' and fined just $500.

Had the matter proceeded through the usual court processes the result could have been very different indeed.

XXX Name Deleted XXX later decided to lodge a civil claim against the Police over the matter, alleging among other things that the Police in Geelong were abnormally obsessed with women's breasts. A coincidence occurred on Grand Final Day 1998, (26 September).

At about 2.30 PM when driving past the Police station at Mercer Street, Geelong, XXX Name Deleted XXX saw a man get out of a four wheel drive parked outside (at a spot where the security camera doesn't monitor). The man stuffed some beer cans (Victoria Bitter) under his jumper and then walked in.

This was obviously a case of a Policeman or a friend having some drinks in the station. The red number plate of the car was 'HOOTERS'. A year earlier a complaint had been lodged against the Geelong Police alleging that some of their members were 'obsessed with female breasts'. The Ombudsman's office had rejected the allegation as 'baseless'.

Ok, So Barry Perry and his men can write off XXX Name Deleted XXX's complaint as that from some aggrieved member of the public … this is routine. But what about when Police make the same sort of complaint? Just days after XXX Name Deleted XXX spotted the 'HOOTERS' car outside the Geelong Police station, a Sergeant from the same Police station, also complained about the sexual antics of her workmates.

The incident happened on October 7 or 8, when someone 'deposited semen under a clear plastic blotter on a Sergeant's desk' (as ESD later wrote). Inspector Ray Holt of ESD said he sent a letter to 60 Geelong Police to discover the other officers 'involvement or knowledge of how a sample of semen' was put on Sergeant Helen Golding's desk. The letter posed a series of questions to the other Police on duty at the time asking a series of questions and making a series of demands.

In order to find the culprit, ESD sought to DNA test 60 officers. Not surprisingly the Police brotherhood closed ranks and they brought pressure on ESD to drop their inquiries. Holt backed down on the DNA testing idea and so the culprit seemed to have got away with the prank.

Two Police officers later claimed to have been responsible when they said that they'd been having sex on the desk during the night-shift when 'things got a bit quiet'. Golding had raised the alarm because she thought the semen may have been left on her desk as a prank or threat following her giving evidence against a fellow Police officer. That was against out-of-favor Sergeant Dennis Tanner at the inquest of Jenny Tanner earlier in 1998.

Maybe Barry Perry shouldn't have written off XXX Name Deleted XXX's complaints about the sexual antics of Geelong Police quite so quickly.

Note: This person's name is NOT deleted in the book Victoria Police Corruption or Taxi:Indecent Exposures.

For the media release re the NSW Police trying to ban the Taxi book go to:
http://www.smuggled.com/MedRel59.htm
For details of the book Victoria Police Corruption go to:
http://www.smuggled.com/vrb2.htm
For the threatening letter from the PIC go to:
http://www.smuggled.com/pic1.htm
XXX Name Deleted XXX's foreword in the book Taxi:Indecent Exposures go to:
http://www.smuggled.com/pic4.htm
For the Hoser letter to a NSW Parliamentarian re the PIC's threats go to:
http://www.smuggled.com/pic3.htm