Harvey began working at City Chicks not long after his release from prison, promoting its family-friendly attractions in social media clips.
When his sordid history was first exposed by Nine News last November, City Chicks owner Ingrid Dimock announced she was cutting all ties.
“I’m just trying to salvage my business and assure all families that it’s a very safe place,” Dimock said at the time, adding: “Steve Harvey has been removed from the premises and anything to do with the business.”
When Harvey was observed working in the cafe earlier this week, he claimed he had been cleared to do so by Queensland Police.
“I’m not doing anything wrong. I’ve had the police out here. They know that I’m here. They don’t have a problem with me being here. Why do you?” Harvey said.
When asked why a convicted child sex offender needed to work in an area swarming with children, Harvey pointed out there were “over 60,000 sex offenders in Queensland, they walk around the shops and everywhere else”.
Police on Thursday confirmed an investigation was under way into Harvey’s employment, but would not comment further.
The City Chicks petting zoo advertises itself as a “kids play space”.Credit: A Current Affair
This isn’t the first time Harvey has been caught near kids after his working with children permit was suspended.
In 2016, he was spotted operating a ride at a school when he was running a jumping castle business.
Harvey told A Current Affair there was more to his criminal convictions, and he always maintained his innocence.
“I’m not a sick individual, you are making stuff up,” he said. “You don’t know all of my history of everything that happened.”
Harvey also claimed that the destination considered by many locals to be a petting zoo was in fact a farm.
Despite claiming he only works in the kitchen now, Harvey was recorded speaking to a mother and her child inside the patting area this week.
City Chicks’ owner was in a relationship with Harvey for almost two years and told A Current Affair by text message that he’d been cleared to return.
“After carefully reviewing the situation with authorities, he is contributing legally in a strictly operational role behind the scenes, with no contact with children,” Dimock said.
This was a far cry from her position when his criminal history was first exposed in November and she told Nine News she didn’t want people “driving past yelling out foul words”, adding that she was “the victim here”.
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