Kevin Bacon and ice cream just don't mix!

'Did Kevin Bacon put the faeces in the ice-cream?'

• Arjun Ramachandran
• October 27, 2008 - 12:00PM

The Whyte family Photo: Steve Lunam

The family that says the Coogee Bay Hotel served them gelato containing human faeces will today demand to see the hotel's CCTV footage in a bid to identify the culprit, the family's lawyer says.

The lawyer, Steven Lewis from Slater & Gordon, also rubbished newspaper reports the family had links to a rival pub as a "Kevin Bacon ... six degrees of separation [defence]" - a reference to the pop-culture belief that any actor in history can be linked via their film roles to US actor Kevin Bacon.

"My question is: 'Did Kevin Bacon put the faeces in the ice-cream?' " Mr Lewis said.

Stephen and Jessica Whyte, who were at the hotel to watch the NRL grand final, say they knew instantly that a complimentary bowl of ice-cream served to them after they had repeatedly complained to management was more than just gelato.

Mrs Whyte says she became violently ill on taking a spoonful to her lips. The family sent a sample to the National Measurements Institute, which found it had "properties similar to human excreta".

Mr Lewis said today he would be sending the hotel a letter demanding it stop defaming the family.

The hotel's general manager, Tony Williams, said in a statement yesterday the family had demanded "hush money" of up to a $1 million.

"What concerns us greatly is that the hotel, rather than addressing the issue, is attacking the Whyte family," Mr Lewis said.

"There's a spurious claim that some demand for money has been made - a claim was never made, and we require them to desist."

News Ltd today also reported the family had links to rivals of the Coogee Bay Hotel.

Mr Whyte's brother-in-law worked for Keystone Hospitality, which owns Cargo Bar and Bungalow 8, it said.

"What is this, the Kevin Bacon ... six degrees of separation [defence]?" Mr Lewis said.

"My question is: 'Did Kevin Bacon put the faeces in the ice-cream?' "

Mr Lewis said the letter sent to the hotel today would also demand to see CCTV footage from the day.

He said the Whytes had been seated at a table alongside the kitchen, and CCTV footage would identify the person who brought the family the ice-cream.

The Whytes today also planned to lodge a formal complaint to the NSW Food Authority.

"The complaint will be that they were served contaminated food. They'll provide a copy of the NMI test results and assist with inquiries," Mr Lewis said.

The complaint had not been received by 9am, a NSW Food Authority spokesman said.

An NMI spokeswoman said that, as its tests involved private clients, it would not comment on the results or on any other tests that had found traces of faeces in food.