Sleazy cocktail bar owner pleads guilty after putting his hand up a woman’s skirt at a boozy Christmas party and following her into a toilet cubicle
- David Antico, 49, sexually touched two women without consent at Xmas party
- Renowned cocktail bar owner in Sydney pleaded guilty to two charges in court
- Antico grabbed one woman on the buttocks, then later followed her to toilet
- Request for charges to be dropped on mental health grounds were dismissed
A sleazy cocktail bar owner has pleaded guilty to sexually touching two women without their consent at a boozy Christmas party last year.
David Joseph Antico, 49, who is the licensee of the Foxtrot Inn at Crows Nest on Sydney’s lower north shore, was charged by police in January.
Antico appeared in Manly Local Court on Thursday to answer the charges, where his lawyer Michael Doughty attempted to have the matter dealt with on mental health grounds.
The application was quickly rejected by Magistrate Bruce Williams, who felt Antico’s behaviour on the night was ‘predatory.’
David Joseph Antico, 49, (pictured left with wife Kailey) was charged by police in January with sexually touching two women without their consent
Antico (pictured left) attempted to have the two charges dismissed as he was said to be suffering from mental health issues at the time of the offending
The court heard Antico’s ‘high level’ of intoxication at the Xmas party could be linked to masking symptoms of depression, with Doughty pointing out his client had already apologised to the two victims.
Police facts revealed on the night in question, one of the victims was on the dance floor at the Foxtrot when Antico put his hand up her skirt, the Mosman Daily reported.
Later that night the business owner, who has since found a different line of work in the fresh food industry, followed the same woman to the bathroom and attempted to push her cubicle door open as she closed it.
Antico, who is married and believed to have two children, told another victim she was a ‘bombshell’ and later in the evening also crudely touched her buttocks.
When handing down his sentencing, Magistrate Williams said Antico’s position as the licensee represented a ‘power imbalance’, before suggesting working in hospitality wasn’t a good fit for the venue boss.
Antico was sentenced to an 18 months community corrections order, which expires in October of 2022.
According to Willoughby Living, David Antico purchased the Foxtrot Inn back with his wife Kailey in the summer of 2016.
Mr Antico boasts extensive experience in hospitality, with previous stints at the Commodore Hotel in North Sydney, the Ashfield Hotel, the Universale Hotel in Leichhardt and Bar Luca in the CBD.
Soon after purchasing the Foxtrot, the Antico’s pushed to make their bar a ‘elusive mix of chic, but cozy sophistication.’
On the night in question, Mr Antico put his hand up one woman’s skirt before placing his hand on another woman’s buttocks during a conversation the pair were having
The offending was at the Foxtrot Inn at Crows Nest in Sydney, where Mr Antico is the venue licensee (stock image)
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