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The Age
11-07-2025
- The Age
Crime and chaos: Victoria's seven most notorious women
Toxicology showed the lunch guests had been poisoned with death cap mushrooms that police quickly found were laced into homemade beef Wellingtons. Three guests, Don and Gail Patterson, plus Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, died while Heather's husband, Ian, against all medical odds, survived. Although Erin Patterson ate the same meal, she did not suffer the same dangerous symptoms. Loading This was not a crime of impulse but one that was planned like a science experiment, finding the poisoned mushrooms, luring her victims to a deadly meal on the false claim she had cancer, a protracted cover-up and then performances in front of the media and the jury of a bewildered victim. As she stood in front of her house sobbing, she told reporters she loved her in-laws. Then there was an involuntary gesture – a finger to her eye and a quick glance to see if there were real tears. There were none. She repeated the action, seemingly overwhelmed in the witness box. Clearly, the jury didn't buy what she was selling. Her defence team is likely to appeal on the grounds the jury got it wrong. Good luck with that. The trial judge, Justice Christopher Beale, went out of his way to thank the jurors for their exemplary behaviour. 2. Roberta Williams Wife of gangster Carl Williams, she once tried to run him over outside a bottle shop after an argument. She was anything but the long-suffering wife. When Williams wanted to kill one of his many rivals, Jason Moran, Roberta was used as bait. She tried to pick a fight with Jason's wife, Trish, outside the school their children attended to lure Moran into an ambush. When he was finally killed – along with his friend, Pasquale Barbaro – in a van filled with kids, a listening device picked up Roberta's reaction. 'I'll be partying tonight.' But Roberta did have some sensible boundaries. When she complained about the workload of being a single parent while Carl was in jail (he was killed in custody in 2010), a family friend offered to babysit. It was Greg Domaszewicz, who was acquitted of murdering Moe toddler Jaidyn Leskie. Roberta declined the offer, adding, 'You are f-----g joking.' 3. Meshilin Marrogi Probably Victoria's only female crime boss. Her brother, George, king of the jail jungle, ran the Notorious Crime Family from behind bars, where he had spent nearly all his adult life, having first killed at the age of 17. Hundreds of his calls to his legal team were diverted to allow him to control his crime syndicate while in maximum security. The brains behind the gang was his sister, Meshilin, who controlled the drug trafficking and the finances. When she died, aged 30, in 2021 from COVID-19 complications, there was a procession of Rolls Royces used to ferry grieving friends and family to the funeral. But George's many enemies had no compassion, and long memories. In 2023, they broke into the family crypt and robbed her body of jewellery. Without Meshlin's guiding hand, the Notorious Crime Family collapsed. 4. Kath Pettingill Known as Granny Evil, she reared a snake pit of sons, some of whom found no crime was too low. She had 10 children including the notorious drug dealer, informer and multiple murderer, Dennis Bruce Allen. Two other sons, Victor Peirce and Trevor Pettingill, were charged and acquitted of the 1988 Walsh Street murders of constables Steven Tynan and Damian Eyre. Decades later, Peirce was ambushed in a gangland murder in Bay Street, Port Melbourne. Kath had an eye shot out in 1978. Police launched an investigation into the crime family, naturally calling it 'Operation Cyclops'. Aged 90, she lives out of the limelight at Venus Bay, lobbying for community projects including safer streets. 5. Wendy Peirce From a law-abiding family, she fell for Victor Peirce, placing her in the Allen/Pettingill/Peirce hell-hole of violence. The family wanted to shoot her in the foot to provide Victor grounds for a bail application so he could look after his injured wife. After Walsh Street, police persuaded her to change sides and become the star prosecution witness against the four men charged, including her husband. At first, she liked being in witness protection but as the months dragged into years, she saw her future. A new identity, no contact with her family and a life of looking over her shoulder. She made contact with the Pettingills and changed sides again, effectively sabotaging the case. The four walked free. Wendy was sentenced to 18 months with a minimum of nine for perjury. For years, I kept in contact with Wendy, first at her home in the outer east while Victor was doing time, and after he was murdered in 2001, near her home in Port Melbourne. She would speak of the most horrendous violence as if it were an everyday event. Such as the day she discovered Allen's wife, Sissy. 'Dennis opened the boot. Sissy was in there with her throat cut. It wasn't ear to ear, but she lay there just gurgling. He told someone to drive her somewhere and just leave her in a dump master. I got her dropped off at a railway station, so someone would find her and take her to hospital. That saved her life.' Loading In 2005, she admitted to me the truth about Walsh Street. 'Victor was the organiser.' While in witness protection, she insisted on browsing in an expensive South Yarra lingerie shop. Even though her guards had a fistful of dollars, she tried to shoplift certain garments until a Special Operations Group member threatened to take his Uzi machinegun out of his backpack and shoot her. Which meant the g-man said no to the g-string. 6. Nicola Gobbo The dreadful irony of the Gobbo saga is the barrister-turned-informer who spent so much time seeking to be a headline act now has been reduced to living in the shadows. What is lost in the Gobbo story is what could have been. She had the talent, the drive, the name (niece to the outstanding judge and governor, Sir James Gobbo), and the legal brain to become an elite barrister. Instead, her desire for centre stage, a weakness for bad men and a flawed moral compass led her to make disastrous decisions, first by getting too close to the crooks and then much too close to the cops. Loading If only those in her own profession had moved early to discipline her, the results may have been different. Instead, we have spent $300 million on inquiries, and some convictions (including against drug boss Tony Mokbel) remain in doubt. 7. Judy Moran Like Gobbo, Judy's fatal mistake was to believe her own publicity that she was some sort of crime matriarch. She was a more than competent shoplifter whose family life was destroyed by murder. The victim of repeated family violence, her husbands, Les Cole (1981) and Lewis Moran (2004), and sons, Mark Moran (2000) and Jason (2003), were killed in underworld murders. And she was a victim of savage domestic violence. But greed and an ego as big as the Hindenburg would be her undoing and just like the giant airship, she would crash and burn (or more accurately burn and crash). In 2009, she paid a hit-team to kill her brother-in-law, Des Moran, as he sat at his favourite Ascot Vale café.
Sydney Morning Herald
11-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Crime and chaos: Victoria's seven most notorious women
Toxicology showed the lunch guests had been poisoned with death cap mushrooms that police quickly found were laced into homemade beef Wellingtons. Three guests, Don and Gail Patterson, plus Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, died while Heather's husband, Ian, against all medical odds, survived. Although Erin Patterson ate the same meal, she did not suffer the same dangerous symptoms. Loading This was not a crime of impulse but one that was planned like a science experiment, finding the poisoned mushrooms, luring her victims to a deadly meal on the false claim she had cancer, a protracted cover-up and then performances in front of the media and the jury of a bewildered victim. As she stood in front of her house sobbing, she told reporters she loved her in-laws. Then there was an involuntary gesture – a finger to her eye and a quick glance to see if there were real tears. There were none. She repeated the action, seemingly overwhelmed in the witness box. Clearly, the jury didn't buy what she was selling. Her defence team is likely to appeal on the grounds the jury got it wrong. Good luck with that. The trial judge, Justice Christopher Beale, went out of his way to thank the jurors for their exemplary behaviour. 2. Roberta Williams Wife of gangster Carl Williams, she once tried to run him over outside a bottle shop after an argument. She was anything but the long-suffering wife. When Williams wanted to kill one of his many rivals, Jason Moran, Roberta was used as bait. She tried to pick a fight with Jason's wife, Trish, outside the school their children attended to lure Moran into an ambush. When he was finally killed – along with his friend, Pasquale Barbaro – in a van filled with kids, a listening device picked up Roberta's reaction. 'I'll be partying tonight.' But Roberta did have some sensible boundaries. When she complained about the workload of being a single parent while Carl was in jail (he was killed in custody in 2010), a family friend offered to babysit. It was Greg Domaszewicz, who was acquitted of murdering Moe toddler Jaidyn Leskie. Roberta declined the offer, adding, 'You are f-----g joking.' 3. Meshilin Marrogi Probably Victoria's only female crime boss. Her brother, George, king of the jail jungle, ran the Notorious Crime Family from behind bars, where he had spent nearly all his adult life, having first killed at the age of 17. Hundreds of his calls to his legal team were diverted to allow him to control his crime syndicate while in maximum security. The brains behind the gang was his sister, Meshilin, who controlled the drug trafficking and the finances. When she died, aged 30, in 2021 from COVID-19 complications, there was a procession of Rolls Royces used to ferry grieving friends and family to the funeral. But George's many enemies had no compassion, and long memories. In 2023, they broke into the family crypt and robbed her body of jewellery. Without Meshlin's guiding hand, the Notorious Crime Family collapsed. 4. Kath Pettingill Known as Granny Evil, she reared a snake pit of sons, some of whom found no crime was too low. She had 10 children including the notorious drug dealer, informer and multiple murderer, Dennis Bruce Allen. Two other sons, Victor Peirce and Trevor Pettingill, were charged and acquitted of the 1988 Walsh Street murders of constables Steven Tynan and Damian Eyre. Decades later, Peirce was ambushed in a gangland murder in Bay Street, Port Melbourne. Kath had an eye shot out in 1978. Police launched an investigation into the crime family, naturally calling it 'Operation Cyclops'. Aged 90, she lives out of the limelight at Venus Bay, lobbying for community projects including safer streets. 5. Wendy Peirce From a law-abiding family, she fell for Victor Peirce, placing her in the Allen/Pettingill/Peirce hell-hole of violence. The family wanted to shoot her in the foot to provide Victor grounds for a bail application so he could look after his injured wife. After Walsh Street, police persuaded her to change sides and become the star prosecution witness against the four men charged, including her husband. At first, she liked being in witness protection but as the months dragged into years, she saw her future. A new identity, no contact with her family and a life of looking over her shoulder. She made contact with the Pettingills and changed sides again, effectively sabotaging the case. The four walked free. Wendy was sentenced to 18 months with a minimum of nine for perjury. For years, I kept in contact with Wendy, first at her home in the outer east while Victor was doing time, and after he was murdered in 2001, near her home in Port Melbourne. She would speak of the most horrendous violence as if it were an everyday event. Such as the day she discovered Allen's wife, Sissy. 'Dennis opened the boot. Sissy was in there with her throat cut. It wasn't ear to ear, but she lay there just gurgling. He told someone to drive her somewhere and just leave her in a dump master. I got her dropped off at a railway station, so someone would find her and take her to hospital. That saved her life.' Loading In 2005, she admitted to me the truth about Walsh Street. 'Victor was the organiser.' While in witness protection, she insisted on browsing in an expensive South Yarra lingerie shop. Even though her guards had a fistful of dollars, she tried to shoplift certain garments until a Special Operations Group member threatened to take his Uzi machinegun out of his backpack and shoot her. Which meant the g-man said no to the g-string. 6. Nicola Gobbo The dreadful irony of the Gobbo saga is the barrister-turned-informer who spent so much time seeking to be a headline act now has been reduced to living in the shadows. What is lost in the Gobbo story is what could have been. She had the talent, the drive, the name (niece to the outstanding judge and governor, Sir James Gobbo), and the legal brain to become an elite barrister. Instead, her desire for centre stage, a weakness for bad men and a flawed moral compass led her to make disastrous decisions, first by getting too close to the crooks and then much too close to the cops. Loading If only those in her own profession had moved early to discipline her, the results may have been different. Instead, we have spent $300 million on inquiries, and some convictions (including against drug boss Tony Mokbel) remain in doubt. 7. Judy Moran Like Gobbo, Judy's fatal mistake was to believe her own publicity that she was some sort of crime matriarch. She was a more than competent shoplifter whose family life was destroyed by murder. The victim of repeated family violence, her husbands, Les Cole (1981) and Lewis Moran (2004), and sons, Mark Moran (2000) and Jason (2003), were killed in underworld murders. And she was a victim of savage domestic violence. But greed and an ego as big as the Hindenburg would be her undoing and just like the giant airship, she would crash and burn (or more accurately burn and crash). In 2009, she paid a hit-team to kill her brother-in-law, Des Moran, as he sat at his favourite Ascot Vale café.
Scottish Sun
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
‘Irreplaceable' 105-year-old Rolls Royce FOUND after it was stolen in hotel heist moments before European tour
The £300,000-plus vehicle was the owner's pride and joy ROLL BACK 'Irreplaceable' 105-year-old Rolls Royce FOUND after it was stolen in hotel heist moments before European tour Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A 105-YEAR-old Rolls Royce Silver Ghost stolen from a hotel in Essex has been recovered thanks to the power of the press. The irreplaceable vehicle went missing along with a trailer on the eve of an epic vintage car expedition to Helsinki and the Baltic States. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 A 105-year-old Rolls Royce Silver Ghost stolen from a hotel in Essex has been recovered Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY 6 The irreplaceable vehicle vanished at a hotel in Essex Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY 6 It has since been recovered after a schoolboy spotted the motor Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY Rolls enthusiast Bryan Fitton, 82, was staying at Orsett Hall Hotel near Grays, Essex, when the theft happened in the early hours of June 29. The £300,000-plus vehicle and another 25 Rolls Royces were due to be loaded on the ferry at Tilbury Docks later that day ahead of a trip to Helsinki, Finland for a European tour. Bryan, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, said: 'To have the vehicle stolen ahead of dropping it off at Tilbury Docks for the ferry to Helsinki is absolutely heartbreaking, but this is a happy ending. 'I was hoping someone would spot the car as it's so rare and help me get the trip of a lifetime back on track – hence the reward and thankfully it worked. 'The car is full of irreplaceable parts – it's an original and has even got the original Lady on the grill. 'The car has been all over the world and is an advert for British motors – it's been everywhere and it was just appalling that it got stolen in Essex.' The 82-year-old was "heartbroken" at the loss and offered a reward of £2,000 for the safe return of his pride and joy. Orsett Hall Hotel declined to comment after the theft and said the matter was in the hands of Essex Police who had launched an investigation. "It was thanks to the power of the press that the car has been recovered," Bryan said. "A schoolboy spotted it and told his father he'd seen a lovey vintage car – his dad had seen the publicity about the theft and got in touch to help with the recovery. "Essex Police went to the area it was spotted in and recovered it intact on the trailer from a dirty old shed. "The vehicle has survived Hitler and World War Two and now it's survived a trip to Essex – I am delighted it has been recovered. "I am hoping the reward is a small fortune for the young lad and hope that shows him that doing the right thing in life pays off." The Sun has reached out to Essex Police for comment. The car came from a British Petroleum collection in Denmark decades ago via an auction at Bonhams. Eight new laws hitting drivers from July 1 including 'touch' rule where you can face jail over where you place hands Bryan has since spent years rebuilding the engine and exhibiting it round the planet. The Silver Ghost has toured England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Portugal and Spain. But this was set to be retired company director Bryan's first trip to the Baltic States in the Silver Ghost. The 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost's registration number is U 5694 and chassis number 39EE. Development of the Silver Ghost goes back to the start of the 20th century. Around 7874 Silver Ghosts were produced between 1907 and 1926, with American President Woodrow Wilson even owning one of the cars. It was named the best car in the world by Autocar in 1907. 6 Bryan Fitton had his Rolls stolen at Orsett Hall Hotel near Grays, Essex, Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY 6 Bryan Fitton has exhibited the motor around the planet Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY
The Irish Sun
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
‘Irreplaceable' 105-year-old Rolls Royce FOUND after it was stolen in hotel heist moments before European tour
A 105-YEAR-old Rolls Royce Silver Ghost stolen from a hotel in Essex has been recovered thanks to the power of the press. The irreplaceable vehicle went missing along with a trailer on the eve of an epic vintage car expedition to 6 A 105-year-old Rolls Royce Silver Ghost stolen from a hotel in Essex has been recovered Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY 6 The irreplaceable vehicle vanished at a hotel in Essex Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY 6 It has since been recovered after a schoolboy spotted the motor Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY Rolls enthusiast Bryan Fitton, 82, was staying at Orsett Hall Hotel near Grays, Essex, when the theft happened in the early hours of June 29. The £300,000-plus vehicle and another 25 Rolls Royces were due to be loaded on the ferry at Tilbury Docks later that day ahead of a trip to Helsinki, Finland for a European tour. Bryan, of Wilmslow, Cheshire, said: 'To have the vehicle stolen ahead of dropping it off at Tilbury Docks for the ferry to Helsinki is absolutely heartbreaking, but this is a happy ending. 'I was hoping someone would spot the car as it's so rare and help me get the trip of a lifetime back on track – hence the reward and thankfully it worked. Read more Motors news 'The car is full of irreplaceable parts – it's an original and has even got the original Lady on the grill. 'The car has been all over the world and is an advert for British motors – it's been everywhere and it was just appalling that it got stolen in Essex.' The 82-year-old was "heartbroken" at the loss and offered a reward of £2,000 for the safe return of his pride and joy. Orsett Hall Hotel declined to comment after the theft and said the matter was in the hands of Essex Police who had launched an investigation. Most read in Motors "It was thanks to the power of the press that the car has been recovered," Bryan said. "A schoolboy spotted it and told his father he'd seen a lovey vintage car – his dad had seen the publicity about the theft and got in touch to help with the recovery. "Essex Police went to the area it was spotted in and recovered it intact on the trailer from a dirty old shed. "The vehicle has survived Hitler and World War Two and now it's survived a trip to Essex – I am delighted it has been recovered. "I am hoping the reward is a small fortune for the young lad and hope that shows him that doing the right thing in life pays off." The Sun has reached out to Essex Police for comment. The car came from a British Petroleum collection in Denmark decades ago via an auction at Bonhams. Eight new laws hitting drivers from July 1 including 'touch' rule where you can face jail over where you place hands Bryan has since spent years rebuilding the engine and exhibiting it round the planet. The Silver Ghost has toured England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Portugal and Spain. But this was set to be retired company director Bryan's first trip to the Baltic States in the Silver Ghost. The 1920 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost's registration number is U 5694 and chassis number 39EE. Development of the Silver Ghost goes back to the start of the 20th century. Around 7874 Silver Ghosts were produced between 1907 and 1926, with American President Woodrow Wilson even owning one of the cars. It was named the best car in the world by Autocar in 1907. 6 Bryan Fitton had his Rolls stolen at Orsett Hall Hotel near Grays, Essex, Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY 6 Bryan Fitton has exhibited the motor around the planet Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY 6 It was due to go on to Helsinki for a European tour before it was stolen Credit: STEVE FINN PHOTOGRAPHY
The Irish Sun
03-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Our charming town turns into UK's Ayia Napa this week… the hooray drunks always end up brawling or bonking
SWAYING from side to side while clutching a pair of high heels, a drunken reveller stops outside a solicitor's office, hikes up her dress and brazenly relieves herself in its doorway. Nearby a group of sunburnt blokes dressed in stripey blazers polish off an enormous bottle of champagne before mindlessly discarding it, sending shards of shattered glass flying across the pavement. Advertisement 20 Champagne fuelled picnickers slumped along the riverbank Credit: Alamy 20 Thames Valley Police draft in extra cops during Regatta Week to keep the peace Credit: Sonja Horsman 20 Resident Gary Waite says people get so drunk they smash beer and champagne bottles on the ground as soon as they get off the train at Henley Credit: Sonja Horsman This is Henley Regatta, the most prestigious event on the rowing calendar, held on the river banks of the upmarket Oxfordshire town for a week every year in July. But such is the carnage that often ensues, largely thanks to an event schedule which kicks off around 9am and goes on into the night, fed up locals now dub the event 'Ayia Rower', after the notorious party resort Advertisement Terrified pub landlords and shop owners hire their own security guards to protect their premises from the rampaging hordes and their rowdy drunken antics - which have been known to include brawling, vandalism and shoplifting. While the smartly dressed visitors in their designer outfits and Panama hats certainly look like they should know better, locals say it's not unusual to see men urinating into the river and inebriated revellers passed out on the grass at the end of each day. In years gone by police have even set up a mobile prisons to hold drunk and disorderly guests, those caught taking drugs or disturbing the peace, until they sober up. Henley resident Gary Waite has lived in the town for 25 years and says he's seen it all. He told The Sun: 'There is no recession when it comes to the Regatta. Advertisement "The trains disgorge hundreds of people in stripy blazers. I've seen them swigging from massive jeroboams of champagne - the equivalent of four bottles. "The car parks are full of Rolls Royces. "Another issue is broken glass everywhere. People are so drunk they smash beer and champagne bottles on the ground as soon as they get off the train, and our dogs walk in the broken glass." Punter at Henley Regatta kneed seven times in the face as cops arrest him 20 Jackie Fullalove with husband Mick and their dogs Bingo and Betty Credit: Sonja Horsman 20 Revellers were feeling the effect of daytime drinking during the heatwave Credit: w8media Advertisement 20 Many of the bars and marquees hire their own private security guards to keep the peace Credit: Sonja Horsman Others living near the town centre told us they have endured revellers brazenly taking drugs and brawling on the street. And locals have previously told of over-amorous, boozy couples having sex. When we visited on the first morning of the event, retired resident Jackie Fullalove said she'd already witnessed an ugly brawl. 'I just saw a ruckus between two young ladies with empty glasses over lunch - they're hot and bothered and fighting already so it's going to be very messy by the end of the day. The whole event is barking mad," she said. Advertisement "We've heard about people using doorways as toilets. It's gruesome." A road sweeper, who did not wish to be named, added: "The girls are far worse than the fellas. "They've been to all the best schools but nobody has taught them how to use a dustbin, never mind a toilet." Mindless vandalism 20 Spectators decked out in their distinctive club colours Credit: Getty 20 Cops on patrol at Henley Credit: Newsgroup Newspapers Ltd Advertisement Of course the veneer of the Royal Regatta is highly respectable glossy and glamorous. It is known as the most prestigious rowing event in the world, but in reality extra police officers are needed to patrol the narrow streets. Every half an hour during Regatta Week around 1,500 people spill off trains from London to the famous festival. The usual population of Henley is less than 12,200, but over the six days of racing the sedate town is overwhelmed by a staggering 300,000 visitors. We watched as noisy crowds poured into the rows of swanky marquees lining the riverbanks, where plush hospitality enclosures serve up 25,000 pints of Pimm's and more than 5,500 bottles of champagne. Advertisement They've been to all the best schools but nobody has taught them how to use a dustbin, never mind a toilet Henley local The formal dress code is so strict that men must wear jackets and ties, and smart summer dresses must fall below the knee - it was only three years ago that women were permitted to wear trousers. Lavish floral displays, Union Jack flags and colourful bunting line the pretty streets, which are usually so immaculately kept that boutique owners have even been spotted vacuuming the pavement outside their shops. One local businesswoman said she had become infuriated by mindless acts of vandalism she' s noticed become more prevalent in recent years. Jan Smith, from The Henley Florist, said: 'Not only do our deliveries take much longer because of the much greater volume of traffic but expensive floral shop displays get pulled down and stolen. "They have to be replaced. It's a shame." Advertisement The increased traffic flow also causes a headache for British Airways cabin crew worker Elizabeth Johnson, 70, who has lived in Henley for more than two decades but still gets frustrated during the annual Regatta. She said: 'Town gets busier and busier as the week goes on. "Because of all the hoorays coming from London they change the frequency of the traffic lights to control the queues which makes it incredibly difficult to get in and out of town. "When I finish a shift I might have been awake for 24 hours and my journey home from Heathrow Airport which usually takes 45 minutes can take over two hours. 'I'm so exhausted by then it's dangerous to be driving." Advertisement After dark 20 Drunken revellers cool off in the river Credit: Alamy 20 Punters took a breather before a night on the town Credit: Sonja Horsman 20 Cops keep an eye out as the marquees empty each evening Credit: Sonja Horsman 20 The Catherine Wheel on Hart Street pub hires doormen during Regatta Week Credit: Sonja Horsman Visitors from as far as America, Australia and New Zealand had splashed out on high price tickets to feast on lavishly catered picnics, while scores of spectators in high spirits took to dinghies, old fashioned paddle boats and launches laden with beer, wine and champagne to cheer on their favourite crews. Advertisement Many looked worse for wear by lunchtime, and by mid afternoon all pretence of watching the rowing had vanished. Come the evening the remains of high end picnics were packed away into wicker hampers, the marquees emptied and crowds of well spoken partygoers staggered across the narrow bridge into the centre of town. Crowds squeezed up Hart Street to The Catherine Wheel - a Weatherspoon's boozer and Henley's largest pub. The closest pub to the race course is The Angel on the Bridge, an historic institution that dates back to 1728. Disgusted neighbours have endured more unsavoury shenanigans there after dark - including women going to extreme lengths to dodge lengthy toilet queues by nipping out of the boozer and urinating in the doorway of the solicitor's office opposite instead. Advertisement In years gone by scenes have turned really ugly. In 2017 locals were aghast when three men were arrested at the Regatta on suspicion of gang raping a woman in her twenties. Cops released CCTV images as part of their investigation after a woman claimed she was attacked as she left the exclusive Chinawhite enclosure. The previous year cops were caught on camera kneeing a punter in the face seven times before knocking him out and arresting him on drunk and disorderly charges. Horrified witnesses watched as Gil Morgan was restrained in front of a crowd, although the charges were later dropped after he lodged a complaint. Advertisement Business boost 20 Cocktail club manager Livia sees profits soar during Regatta Week Credit: Sonja Horsman 20 Martin Saxon and Liam Johnson admit they don't come to the Regatta for the rowing Credit: Sonja Horsman 20 A pair of patriotic visitors take up their spot on the riverbank Credit: Alamy This year the event, which was established in 1839, will host more than 4,000 athletes competing from 19 nations in 400 races across six days of elite competition. Some locals welcome the festival, attended by royalty and celebrities, and the cheerful atmosphere it brings and dismiss the drunken behaviour as part of the fun. Advertisement Henley's branch of Coppa Club is among the businesses which enjoy a huge boost from customers coming from all over the world. The cocktail bar on Bell Street, where a bottle of champagne is £80 and cocktails are £11.50 each, was doing a roaring trade at lunchtime. It is fully booked for champagne brunches, afternoon teas and dinner all week. Manager Livia Viveirous, 52, revealed they rake in more than £5,000 a night during the wild week, more than at any other time of the year. She told us: 'Every single business is full, full, full. The amount we make this week will see us through the summer, we make at least two and a half times what we make on a usual week. Advertisement The amount we make this week will see us through the summer, we make at least two and a half times what we make on a usual week Livia Viveirous, bar manager "Everyone is in a good mood, getting merry.' Pals Martin Saxon, 48, and Liam Johnson, 42, were among those spectating who cheerfully admitted they have little interest in the sport itself. "People who haven't been to Henley before think of it as very genteel, but the reality is completely different," said Martin, a tree surgeon from Poole in Dorset. 'I come with my mates and we park up in our campervan for a party. "The racing is finished by late afternoon and everyone heads into the town centre" added Martin. "It's all going on. Advertisement 'The pubs are where the real party is, not by the river,' Liam agreed. 'When the weather is this good, why wouldn't you?" 20 Races are over by late afternoon but raving continues until the early hours Credit: w8media 20 Even the car parks were packed with boozers Credit: w8media 20 Temperatures topped 30 degrees in Henley earlier this week Credit: w8media 20 Female racegoers cop an eyeful of the rowers Credit: Reuters Advertisement 20 The Sun's Nadia Cohen at the Henley Regatta Credit: Newsgroup Newspapers Ltd
