El Grotto: Scarborough bar reveals outcome of investigation into sexual harassment complaint

Scarborough bar El Grotto has issued a lengthy apology after an investigation into an incident involving a couple who were sexually harassed at the venue. The West Australian revealed on Monday that the couple complained to a security guard after a highly intoxicated man propositioned them while they were holding hands at the venue on Friday, November 19. Iris Grey said she and her partner Emma Bourke were left shaken after the man told them “I’m more feminine than I am masculine, so come on, ladies. I’m a lesbian, too’”. Ms Grey revealed that the man said “I like eating p...., I’m just trying to spread love, that’s what I do, come on now.” The 19-year-old and her partner asked him to remove his hand from theirs — but when he continued to badger them and try to initiate sexual behaviour, they approached a security guard to complain that they felt unsafe. The worker reportedly told the women the man had done nothing wrong because he hadn’t touched them inappropriately. In a statement on Friday, the venue revealed it had concluded the investigation into the incident, confirming the two women “did the right thing”. “On Friday night there was an incident at El Grotto in which two of our guests were sexually harassed in our venue and reported this to staff,” it said. “The two people involved did exactly the right thing and we thank them for bringing the incident to our attention. “Unfortunately, our processes were not followed on the night, so it was the guests who left the venue, before the perpetrator was evicted.” The statement said the incident was “unacceptable” and the venue apologised — saying training would be put in place for staff, a new security team appointed, and a consultant hired to “further train on better ways to eliminate harassment”. “To all our customers, if you ever feel uncomfortable in our venue for any reason, please raise the issue with us straight away so the team at El Grotto can help you,” the statement said. “We’re going to do better for everyone.”