The historic Sir Charles Hotham Hotel was the scene of a violent assault last week that resulted in the death of an elderly man, and his alleged assailant arrested.
The 82-year-old man had reportedly been staying in the pub’s accommodation for nearly a month, having travelled to Victoria from New Zealand.
On Wednesday night it’s thought he was attacked around 11:40pm, by another guest. Police say the men were known to each other.
Emergency services were summoned, finding the victim in a room around 11.50pm. He passed away a short time later.
His alleged attacked, a man in his 30s, fled before police arrived.
“Detectives from the Homicide Squad will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident,” declared a police statement.
A crime scene was established at the hotel and the area cordoned off. Officers from the Major Crime Scene Unit began investigations.
On Thursday afternoon a 34-year-old man was arrested over the incident, in the Melbourne CBD, and later charged with one count of murder.
The Hotel, which has stood on the corner of Brougham and Cavendish streets for almost a century, was thought to have also been the scene of a murder back in 2011. A 45-year-old man was charged after a man aged in his 50s, with whom he was staying at the hotel, was found dead nearby.
Police suggest the incident last week appears to be isolated.
Sir Charles Hotham had only recently reopened after being closed for three weeks, beginning Christmas Eve. No-one answered phone calls today.
