Euro owner charged over row at rival eatery

Auckland restaurateur Leo John Molloy appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday after an alleged altercation at a rival eatery and watering hole owned by his brother-in-law.

Molloy, the 45-year-old majority owner of the Euro Restaurant and Bar on Princes Wharf, was remanded without plea to reappear on January 9.

He faces charges of assault and of using obscene language in a public place.

He was charged with assaulting Kelly Jay Kahui-McConnell, who is understood to be a staff member of the George Restaurant and Bar in Parnell.

The offences are alleged to have taken place there on Tuesday night.

The George is owned by Louis Jones, whose wife, independent television producer Julie Christie of Touchdown Productions, is Molloy's sister.

Molloy is also a former owner of Irish pub Danny Doolans at the nearby Viaduct Quay.*

Last year, after American Express took over naming rights of the Viaduct Harbour, he was asked to comment and said:

"Personally, I would prefer to see it called Leoland, because I own just about half of it."

West Coast-born Molloy is a former jockey turned veterinarian who has invested $250,000 to become principal owner in highly promising 3-year-old filly Little Angel, to remind him of his career in the saddle. He rode a multitude of winners.

He is believed to have once worked as a general hand at the Queen's stables in Britain.

He became a millionaire with his first venture into the hospitality trade, a student bar called the Fat Lady's Arms in Palmerston North.

* CORRECTION: In the original version of this report, we incorrectly stated that Molloy was a current owner of Danny Doolan's pub.