Gentleman's club owner hit with fine after Manchester dancer 'left to die'

The owner of a gentleman's club in Australia where a Manchester-born dancer was found dead has been fined $28,000.

Stacey Tierney, a fitness instructor from Withington, was working at the Dreams club in Melbourne in 2016 to earn money to study nursing. The 29-year-old told friends that she 'didn't enjoy it, but the money was good'.

Just before Christmas, she died after taking a cocktail of drugs in a private manager's lounge in the table-top dancing venue. More than 30 hours passed between Ms Tierney entering the room - the only one not monitored by cameras - and her body being taken from the venue by ambulance officers.

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An inquest heard how she was 'left to die'. Toxicology tests found evidence of heroin, ecstasy and cocaine in her system alongside alcohol and a medical cause of death was given as 'multi-drug toxicity'.

Following her death, the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission took disciplinary action again the club for multiple liquor licence breaches. The club's owner Salvatore Aparo, who runs it with his fiancé, told the hearing how he accepted a 'lot of responsibility' for the tragedy.

On Thursday (June 30), the ruling found that the club supplied liquor outside of trading hours, supplied liquor to intoxicated persons, permitted drunken people to be on licensed premises, failed to adequately supervise and failed to adequately develop house rules. It also said at the time of Ms Tierney’s death, Mr Aparo was unsuitable to hold a license.

Last month the hearing was told how Mr Aparo was a 'hands-off' operator, leaving the operation of the club to staff. His company, paro Management Enterprises Pty Ltd, now has three