Kakavas: I saw Peacock without feathers
The Age
Friday June 12, 2009
A SENIOR Crown Casino officer who claims he never suspected former patron Harry Kakavas had a gambling problem has admitted he knew the man was continuing to gamble interstate while being treated by psychologists in Melbourne.Crown officer Bill Horman has previously told the court he never suspected Mr Kakavas had a gambling problem and did not discuss it with him.Yesterday he admitted knowing Mr Kakavas was continuing to gamble while being treated by psychologists, including a gambling expert Crown referred him to when Mr Kakavas excluded himself from the casino.Mr Horman kept detailed notes of his conversations with Mr Kakavas, including one in which Mr Kakavas described a trip to Jupiters on the Gold Coast where he said he had seen Crown's head of public relations, Ann Peacock, topless.Mr Horman read his notes to the court and was reluctant to identify the woman he referred to as "AP".His notes said Mr Kakavas had told him Ms Peacock was not wearing a top and was at Jupiters with Michael Kroger. The couple married in 1999 but separated earlier this year. Outside the court, Mr Kakavas said he had seen Ms Peacock by a Jupiters pool.Mr Kakavas claims Crown executives lured him back after a long absence to exploit his addiction, and is seeking about $35 million from the casino, including $20 million for his losses. He turned over almost $1.5 billion at Crown between June 2005 and August 2006.Crown denies any strategy to lure Mr Kakavas back and disputes he has an addiction.Yesterday, as Mr Horman was taken through his own notes, emails and memorandums, he admitted he had believed that Mr Kakavas had a "propensity" and an "inclination" to gamble.Mr Kakavas' lawyer, Allan Myers, QC, said: "You formed a view, did you not, that whilst Mr Kakavas was undergoing treatment . . . he gambled substantial sums of money on a number of visits to casinos in NSW and Queensland?"Mr Horman replied: "I had some belief he may have been, yes. I did understand he visited those places and gambled."The trial continues next week.
© 2009 The Age
Share This