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Mystery has deepened around Eddie Hayson, former brothel owner and accused drug runner, after the public was ejected from a court during a routine bail hearing.
The secret hearing on Thursday follows revelations by the Herald that Hayson has been linked to a probe allegedly involving three high-ranking NSW Police officers.
Hayson, 57, was charged in 2024 by officers from Strike Force Maimura, who were targeting an organised crime group that allegedly used private planes and encrypted devices to move drugs across the country.
He has pleaded not guilty and was bailed in April last year, with his release conditions suppressed.
One month earlier, in March 2025, the Herald revealed the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission was investigating senior officers over allegations that they had previously accepted the services of sex workers courtesy of Hayson.
It is also alleged that there is CCTV footage of two officers visiting Stiletto, Hayson’s former brothel in Camperdown.
On January 21, the LECC executed search warrants on the premises of three senior officers, seizing a number of their electronic devices. A fourth officer also had his phone and computer seized.
It is understood that none of the officers have been stood down pending the outcome of the LECC investigation.
Hayson was arrested the following week for breaching his bail conditions. When he appeared in court the following day, Saturday, January 31, it appeared that he would be returning to prison due to the breaches. However, sources indicate he was released later that evening.
It is understood that the LECC is examining a prison visit to Hayson by two of the police officers involved in the inquiry. The visit occurred before Hayson was released on bail in April last year. An earlier attempt to get bail had been unsuccessful.
There is no suggestion that the allegations against the officers are true or that the prison visit was untoward – only that the LECC is investigating the alleged events.
There is also no suggestion Hayson has any connection to or knowledge of the LECC raids or that he provided the officers with free services or information.
Hayson appeared in sneakers and sunglasses at the Downing Centre Local Court with his lawyer, Abbas Soukie, for a variation of his unknown bail conditions on Thursday.
Soukie asked Magistrate Greg Grogin to close the court to the public – which prosecutors did not oppose – before the Herald was ejected from the room.
Hayson’s application for a bail variation was later withdrawn on Thursday. The contents of the proceedings could not be published, the court ordered.
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