ARTICLE IN NEWS PAPERS TODAY.
Carey party investigated
By Nick Papps
04feb03
POLICE are investigating an incident from a wild, drunken spa party involving Wayne Carey.
The investigation is based on claims a camera containing photographs of the footy star and a young woman at the party was stolen from a Melbourne family.
The family yesterday reported the theft of their camera to police in South Australia.
The family has signed sworn statutory declarations detailing how their camera was taken by friends of Carey after a confrontation at the Stamford Grand Hotel in Adelaide.
The family told police that Carey's friends entered their room at the hotel to take the camera.
The Adelaide Football Club yesterday confirmed that Carey was at the party and said it had spoken to him about the night.
"We've spoken to Wayne and told him to be careful about those things," Crows football manager John Reid said.
"He's got to learn there's certain situations which don't occur and that's probably one of them."
Mr Reid said Carey was invited to a friend's 30th at the Grand, but Carey had told him there were no compromising photographs of him.
The family has signed sworn statements for the Herald Sun, detailing their horror night in room 810 ? the room opposite Carey's party in room 811.
At the height of the party, the carpet in room 811 was flooded with water from an overcrowded spa.
It had to be cut out and replaced in a three-day clean-up.
The party started just hours after Carey finished a training camp with the Crows in country South Australia.
Carey was unavailable for comment last night.
But insiders at the party have told theHerald Sun that several people were nude in the spa on the night.
In the statutory declarations, the family's son said he gave a disposable camera to a girl he came across in the eighth-floor foyer of the Stamford Grand about 1.45am on January 6.
The girl told him Wayne Carey was "in the room with my best friend and I really want to leave".
The girl then entered room 811, which was open and took a photo of Carey and the girl.
Moments later the camera was taken off the girl by Carey's friends.
But the son said he snatched the camera back and an argument started in the corridor between the rooms.
The statement by the son says he saw Carey and an "attractive looking blonde" walking towards the door of 811.
"I saw Wayne and the other girl walk out towards the door together.
"She left. She was about 20, blonde."
Hearing the commotion outside their room, his parents emerged from 810 where they saw several men arguing with their son.
In his statement, the father says several men including a man called "Macca" were asking for the camera back.
"I'm focusing on these guys, out of the blue a tall bloke comes up and I look at him," the father's statement says.
"It was Wayne Carey.
"Out of the blue, his eyes were glazed.
"He was obviously on the piss.
"He came out of that room right up in between me and his friend and said to me `Don't worry, Macca will take care of it. Take care of it Macca'.
"And he walked off."
The father says the argument then moved to the family's room where one of the men offered money for the camera.
The father says he refused the money but handed the camera to Carey's friends.
He says he handed over the camera because he felt intimidated. But he gave it on the understanding that family photos would be returned. He says they never were.
In his sworn statement, the father says he later complained to the hotel about the night and the inaction of hotel staff who witnessed the arguments over the camera.
The family was later given $200 in free drink and food from the hotel.
The father said he witnessed repair work to room 811 over the following three days.
"The room across the hallway was damaged beyond belief. Apparently the whole place was flooded and they had to bring someone in to cut the carpet," the father's statement says.
The father says he later contacted Adelaide Football Club and was told not to talk to the newspaper about the incident.
He says he was offered football tickets and free dinners by Mr Reid.
Yesterday Mr Reid said he acted as a broker over the incident between the family and the people at the party.
"We came up with the suggestion: is there anything that can be done to resolve this," he said.
Mr Reid said the offer of football tickets and free dinners would have been paid for by the people at the party, not the Adelaide Football Club.
He said Carey was not involved in any damage to the hotel.
Mr Reid said he believed Carey was not photographed in a compromising position.
"I'm quite happy that Wayne was in no compromising position other than he was there," Mr Reid said.
"My understanding is that the people that had the room, did the damage and paid for the damage.
"I said to Wayne, `You don't need enemies if you've got a couple of mates that keep getting into that predicament'."
Carey's friend Cameron Mansell last night said the party was his 31st and he paid $1000 to the hotel for the water damage to the carpet.
He denied the spa was used and said it was a quiet night with 20 friends.
Last year Carey left the Kangaroos after it was revealed he had been having an affair with Kelli Stevens, the wife of Kangaroos skipper Anthony.
Carey moved to Adelaide to start a new life with his wife Sally late last year.
The Herald Sun does not suggest that Carey was involved in a fight at the hotel on the night.
Nor is there any suggestion that the Adelaide Crows paid for the damage to the room.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks