Neighbours bar Strauss-Kahn from NY bolthole

RESIDENTS in a Manhattan apartment complex have blocked a bid by Dominique Strauss-Kahn to move into the building while he awaits trial over an alleged sex attack in a New York hotel.

The former IMF managing director was expected to stay with his wife at Bristol Plaza, an exclusive apartment block in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

But a representative of the building confirmed yesterday that the couple would not be residing in one of their suites.

Reports suggest that Strauss-Kahn's would-be neighbours objected to the presence of the French politician in their building.

They may also have taken fright at the idea of having a 24-hour armed guard - a condition of Strauss-Kahn's bail - stationed inside the apartment block, and the world's media camping outside.

Either way, it appears that the plans fell through.

"They are not staying here," was the curt response from Bristol Plaza when contacted yesterday. "There is no one on the list with that name," a woman added before hanging up.

"I think it's an inconvenience for all of us," said one resident, Michele Smith, who spoke outside the Bristol. "I don't want that kind of publicity in my building."

The move will come as a further blow for Strauss-Kahn, who was arrested last weekend over an alleged sex attack on a hotel maid.

After an initial court appearance on Monday, he was taken to New York's Riker Island prison, where he resided in a cell measuring 11ft by 13ft.

But having been awarded bail at a court hearing on Thursday, he was due to leave the jail yesterday.

Conditions of his release mean that he will have to wear an electronic tag at all times and have a 24-hour armed guard present at his apartment.

In addition, he was told that he must reside at an address provided to the court.

On Thursday, Strauss-Kahn's lawyer told a judge that their client intended to stay at a Manhattan apartment rented in the name of his wife, Anne Sinclair.

Authorities did not release the address. But on Friday, police and media congregated outside Bristol Plaza on East 65th Street. Barricades were set up to keep news crews away from the building.

The upmarket apartment block advertises itself as being "better than a hotel", boasting "luxurious accommodations above and beyond that of a transient hotel".

One-bedroom suites at the building are rented out for between $9,300 (5,708) and $13,600 (8,348) a month. A two-bedroom apartment can cost up to $14,200 (8,716) a month.

As of last night, Strauss-Kahn had not been released from custody, despite being granted bail the previous day. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo told the New York Post: "I don't know what's going on. There's a lot of things that have to happen."

As well as agreeing to stringent conditions as to his accommodation, Strauss-Kahn will have to stump a surety of $1 million in cash, and $5 million in insurance company bonds.

He was granted bail despite prosecutors arguing that the former IMF managing director was a flight risk due to his access to wealth and global contacts.

In court on Thursday, Strauss-Kahn learned that he would be prosecuted, after a grand jury voted in favour of an indictment.

The 62-year-old faces counts of committing criminal sexual acts, attempted rape, sex abuse, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment. The most serious charge carries a maximum sentence of 25-years imprisonment.

Prosecutors allege that Strauss Kahn attacked a 32-year-old maid at the Sofitel Hotel last Saturday. In court on Thursday prosecutors said the proof against him was "substantial and continues to grow by the day".