Fight over rough sleepers’ $40,000 hotel bill takes a twist on revelation of fraud convictions

Community Services Minister Simone McGurk said the hotel was not approved by the Department of Communities to be used as temporary accommodation.

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“The department made a judgement call over a year ago that it wasn’t prepared to use that hotel and it hasn’t,” she told Radio 6PR.

“Between some very vulnerable people on the streets, between Jesse Noakes and now the hotel owner, there’s more chaos that has followed this group, and … they’re very vulnerable people who have complex needs.”

However, booking records show the department was paying for guests to stay at the hotel as recently as this month.

“The booking came in, we thought, ‘OK we’ll sort this out’, and my staff did the right thing, and if we don’t get paid, then c’est la vie,” Mr Kamil said.

Department of Communities acting state-wide services executive director Glenn Mace later clarified the agency had not used the hotel since June, but had agreed to “support guests who had been placed at the hotel through earlier arrangements made by Wungening and Uniting WA” – its community service providers.

“Communities did so on the agreed understanding the guests would be relocated to alternative accommodation options based on this outcome,” he said.

A convicted fraudster and a conman

A closer look into Mr Kamil and hotel accountant Anthony Collie’s pasts revealed the pair had both served jail sentences for fraud, sparking concerns over the legitimacy of their claims.

Mr Kamil was sentenced to 15 months jail in 2008 and disqualified from holding a real estate licence for 10 years after he used his then-girlfriend’s identity to buy a unit without her knowledge or consent.

The 58-year-old was the real estate agent hired to sell 12 apartments and four office blocks at a North Perth development.

After the owners declined to sell Mr Kamil one of the units for the discounted price of $212,415, he fraudulently purchased the dwelling for $313,000 under his girlfriend’s name.

He then advertised the unit for sale in the newspaper for $395,000 before the original sale was finalised.

When the developer became aware of the advertisement and tried to pull out of the sale, Mr Kamil forged a document to lock them into the contract.

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He also directed his ex-girlfriend’s first home owner’s grant and stamp duty dispensation – valued at $10,000 – to his bank account.

During his District Court sentencing, the judge found Mr Kamil had defrauded the state and misused his position as a real estate agent for financial gain.

Police later charged Mr Kamil with 17 unrelated property management-related offences in 2018, but then dropped the charges.

Mr Kamil was also named in a separate 2019 Supreme Court civil proceeding between another tenant and his strata company over allegations he allowed a blacklisted prostitute to stay at the venue on multiple occasions while she entertained clients and an alleged drug dealer.

The case was dismissed by consent in 2020 and the allegations were never proven.

Mr Kamil rejected them as hearsay and told WAtoday his criminal past was not relevant to the plight of the homeless people in limbo at his hotel.

“I do not believe all that stuff has got any relevance, my past has no relevance … people change,” he said.

“At the end of the day, if the government don’t pay me, I don’t care, because I know I’ve done a good deed.

“We always give the [homeless guests] food and we tried to organise extra clothes.”

He said he and Mr Collie had learned their lessons and moved on from their pasts.

Mr Collie – who originally told journalists on Tuesday his name was Anthony Coll, before being exposed by Nine News Perth – was convicted in 2015 of defrauding nearly $200,000 from investors through a fake computer service business.

He spent the cash lavishly, living it up at Crown Perth in a $6500-a-night suite.

During his District Court sentencing, state prosecutor David Thiering said Mr Collie had a gambling problem and wanted to live the high life.

“The state submits … in respect to these offences that he grooms and manipulates those around him,” Mr Thiering said.

Mr Collie was sentenced to five years’ jail, and the judge ruled him a risk of reoffending if he did not engage in treatment.

It was the second time he was jailed for fraud-related offences, the first time being in 2006.

Homeless people in limbo over bill dispute

Mr Kamil claimed the 11 rooms booked at his hotel were arranged by Department of Communities staff, however, the department denies making any booking and Mr Kamil was unable to provide the name of the person who made the request.

Mr Noakes has previously admitted to WAtoday he arranged the hotel stays.

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Ms McGurk agreed with 6PR host Liam Bartlett’s suggestion Mr Kamil and Mr Noakes were attempting to “shame the government” into paying the $40,000 hotel bill.

“Those people who have been moved to Mr Kamil’s hotel, Perth City Apartments, we’ve been trying to work with them for over a week to say, ‘Look we’ll move you to accommodation that we’ll pay for’, and then try get those people engaged with one of the community sector organisations who can support them,” she said.

“They’re very vulnerable and need support … and I don’t think just putting them in a hotel and leaving them is a solution.”

On Wednesday morning, several of the hotel guests were transferred to other accommodation by community agencies assisting the department.

Mr Kamil said nine rooms were still occupied by the homeless group, who he claimed were scared to leave.

Mr McGowan said the events that had led to the group being in the hotel were not acceptable.

“You can’t just have people off the street come and book hotel rooms and send the bill to the government, it can’t be done, it can’t be permitted otherwise people can just book the Ritz, or the Crown Towers … send your bill to the government and say, ‘There, you pay’,” he said.

“How can that be a sensible way of dealing with things?”