DJ let bikie run his SA nightclub
SARAH CRAWFORD
| April 11th, 2011
Stephen Hooper
A WELL-KNOWN
Darwin DJ allowed a member of an outlaw bikie gang to run his
Adelaide nightclub while he hosted weekly wet T-shirt competitions
in the Top End.
DJ Stephen Hooper,
known for raunchy wet T-shirt competition "Tits Out Tuesday",
allowed the bikies to take over his club knowing the venue would
"realistically" be used to sell drugs, a South Australian judge
ruled.
The DJ was the sole
director and shareholder of Rise Nightclub, at Light Square,
Adelaide from 2000 to 2006.
Judge Paul Rice banned
DJ Hooper from being a licensee for 15 years because of his
associations with members of the Rebels Motorcycle Gang.
Judge Rice said DJ
Hooper "abdicated his responsibilities" to Rebels member Robert
Vitale and his brother Anthony when he moved to Darwin in 2003 to
work at Discovery Nightclub.
DJ Hooper declined to
comment to the NT News, but he did say he had "never" been the
licensee at Discovery Nightclub.
In 2000 DJ Hooper
leased the nightclub from Robert Vitale, who owned the property. Mr
Vitale and his brother both applied to be approved as responsible
persons for Rise Nightclub, but police intervened and it was
rejected by the Office of Liquor and Gambling.
Despite that, Mr Vitale
was in charge of promotions and security at the venue. His
girlfriend was the club's bookkeeper and his brother was the
nightclub manager.
A police investigation
in 2006 found large amounts of money from the venue was not going
into the nightclub's account.
Police also found the
club was a popular hang out for Rebels' members.
Police records showed
that between July 2003 to July 2005 about 40 per cent of police
call-outs between 3am and 10am on the weekend were to the club. In
that same period 42 ambulances attended the venue.
DJ Hooper managed the
club from 2000 until he went to Darwin in 2003, leaving the Vitales
to run it.
In February this year
DJ Hooper come under fire by the Northern Territory Licensing
Commission in relation to the wet T-shirt competition TOT.
A licensing inspector
accused DJ Hooper of breaching guidelines for adult entertainment by
telling contestants to expose their breasts during Australia Day
celebrations.