"I shanked him" and dropped a knife in a drain as he fled the scene,

One of six Comanchero bikies accused of murdering a man in a brawl at Sydney airport said "I shanked him" and dropped a knife in a drain as he fled the scene, a jury has heard.

The short and unexpected fight, sparked by a "chance encounter" of rival gang members, culminated in the death of Anthony Zervas, the brother of Hells Angel Peter Zervas.

The court was told Mr Zervas was attacked with bollards, kicked, punched and stomped on as he lay on the floor of the domestic terminal.

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He suffered "massive head injuries and stab wounds", Crown Prosecutor Natalie Adams said in her opening address in the NSW Supreme Court trial on Wednesday.

Comanchero bikies Mahmoud Hawi, Farres Abounader, Canan Eken, Zoran Kisacanin, Christian Menzies and Usama Potrus, have pleaded not guilty to murdering 29-year-old Mr Zervas in the March 2009 altercation.

Hells Angel David Padovan has denied a single charge of riot.

Ms Adams told the court Comanchero members travelling from Melbourne to Sydney "by chance" recognised Hells Angels boss Derek Wainohu on the same flight.

Hawi, the former Comanchero national president, stared and growled at Mr Wainohu before each side called for reinforcements, the court heard.

Anthony Zervas and his brother had been helping paint a house when they received a message to head for the airport.

Meanwhile, Comanchero members also began making their way there.

An altercation occurred at Gate 5, allegedly sparked by Hawi or Mr Wainohu, who one witness said "got punched" and fell to the ground.

Mr Wainohu didn't take any further part in the violence, the crown said.

According to another witness, Hawi threatened the retreating Hells Angels, saying: "You're a dead man walking".

A second brawl broke out and moved through the check-in area as airport staff and passengers looked on, but there was no clear CCTV footage of the assault because the nearest camera wasn't working that day, the court heard.

But Ms Adams said evidence suggested the victim "was involved in the fighting from the start and was chased by Comanchero as the fighting erupted".

One witness described seeing Mr Zervas "swing at Hawi in an upward direction" resulting in Hawi being cut on the arm.

Others have described seeing up to five bollards in the air at the same time, and up to four men attacking Mr Zervas, who had a high level of cocaine in his system, the court heard.

Hawi's DNA was found under the victim's fingernails and broken scissor handles were located near the body, with the remainder of the scissors embedded in his jacket.

As the men fled, Menzies is alleged to have to have admitted "he thought he killed him" while Abounader allegedly said to an associate "I shanked him, I want to drop it", before discarding a knife in a drain.

Ms Adams said the crown case is that both scissors and a knife could have been used to inflict the stab wounds.

The trial, before Justice Robert Allan Hulme, is expected to last six months.

Six members of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club and one member of the Hells Angels went on trial

Six members of the Comanchero Motorcycle Club and one member of the Hells Angels went on trial in the Supreme Court in Parramatta this morning charged over a violent brawl at Sydney Airport in 2009 in which a man was killed.

On trial before Justice Robert Hulme are Mahmoud Hawi, 30, Farres Abounader, 29, Canan Eken, 28, Zoran Kisacanin, 24, Christian Menzies, 28, and Usama Potrus, 28.

Each has been charged with murder and riot and four have been additionally charged with affray.

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The seventh man, David Padovan, 27, a member of the Hells Angels, has been charged with riot and affray.

The jury, empanelled this week from a pool of 3000 people, comprises eight men and seven women. Of these 15, 12 will eventually deliver verdicts in the trial, which is expected to take up to six months.

In her opening address, Crown prosecutor Natalie Adams went through the events at Gate 5 and at the check-in area at Sydney Airport's Domestic Terminal on March 22, 2009.

She went through the account of five Comanchero boarding a plane to Sydney and when they arrived recognised the president of the Hells Angels, Derek Wainohu.

She told the jury that there were a series of telephone calls and text messages and the result of that was that seven Hells Angels confronted a group of Comanchero at the airport and there was a violent confrontation seen by staff and other onlookers.

She said that, before the altercation, Anthony Zervas’s brother Peter was summoned by text message to come to the airport. Antony came with him.

Ms Adams said that Anthony Zervas, who was not a Hells Angel, had died of head injuries and stabbing and that the attack on him had continued when he was on the ground.

Bikie said he 'shanked' rival, court hears

ONE of the alleged participants in the riot at Sydney Airport in 2009 admitted as he left the scene he had ''shanked'' Anthony Zervos, who lay dying behind him, before dropping the knife into a drain, counsel told the Supreme Court at Parramatta yesterday.

Natalie Adams, opening for the Crown before Justice Robert Hulme, said that Zervos had gone to the airport with his brother Peter on March 22, 2009, to support the national president of the Hells Angels, Derek Wainohu. He had joined Peter and four other Hells Angels in confronting 12 members of the Comanchero gang. But he had fallen or been knocked down, had been bashed with a bollard and stabbed several times, two of the stab wounds going through his right lung.

Ms Adams said that in August 2009, police recovered a knife from a drain. No DNA profile was found on it but its discovery was consistent with what a Comanchero gang member, Farres Abounader, had allegedly told his colleague on the day of the fight.

 

MOTORCYCLE gangs across Geelong have been put on notice as part of a police crackdown on outlaw bikies.

Victoria Police yesterday unveiled the Echo Taskforce, a unit created to investigate and prevent outlaw motorcycle gang crime.

Geelong biker Kim Sloan, one of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club's "several" national secretaries, confirmed police had already been in contact with local groups in the lead-up to yesterday's launch.

Mr Sloan said the "friendly reminder" related to ensuring bikers obeyed the law during poker runs and other club activities. He was not particularly concerned by the creation of a taskforce to target motorcycle gangs.

"There's not that much in it (the taskforce), really. We're fine with the police, they're cool," he said.

"This is just expected because of the new government in Victoria and because it was an election promise.

"I think it's a little over the top but it's the Government's directive for the police to do this, so we're not going to take it personally."

The crackdown includes a ban on outlaw bikie gangs fortifying their clubhouses.

There are 24 bikie gangs with 56 clubhouses across Victoria.

A government spokesman said the draft laws would include anti-fortification provisions to stop outlaw bikie gangs setting up clubhouses fortified by protective barricades.

"The Government expects the legislation to be introduced this year," the spokesman said.

The National Crime Authority has in the past reported that the main source of income for bikie gangs revolved around the importation of firearms, drug trafficking, counterfeiting, tax evasion, extortion, money laundering and trafficking in stolen goods. These claims are disputed by most motorcycle clubs.

Geelong hasn't had a major motorcycle gang incident for the past two years. However, a torrid stretch from 2007 to 2009 featured drive-by shootings, a suspected turf war and police raids.

Motorcycle gang crime in Geelong came to a head with the fatal shooting of Bandidos member Ross Brand on October 22, 2008.

In March this year, John Bedson was jailed for 23 years for Mr Brand's murder. His brother Derek was jailed for 12 years for his part in the shooting.

Echo Taskforce member Detective Superintendent Doug Fryer said police would crack down on organised crime, firearms offences, drug activity, illegal links to the alcohol industry and brothels, and any other offences committed by outlaw patched bikies.

"We're obviously aware that not all bikies are involved in organised criminality but those that are will be subject to investigations by Victoria Police," Det Supt Fryer said.

"We're not talking about people who just ride bikes, we're talking about people who brand themselves as outlaws and as outlaw motorcycle gangs. Many of them and most of them have a patch on their jacket of a 1 per cent. The 1 per cent represents that they are the one per cent of the community who are outside the laws and standards of the community."

Major bikie gangs in Geelong include the Bandidos, Rebels, Black Uhlans and Death before Dishonour.

Bikie stabbed with broom in prison brawl

ROCK Machine bikie charged over the attempted murder of Rebels bikie president Nick Martin has allegedly been stabbed in the neck with a broom in prison.

The 30-year-old man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was seriously injured during a brawl at Casuarina Prison yesterday, Perth Now reports.

The man was allegedly wounded some time between 4pm and 5pm (WST), and was taken to hospital for surgery.

A Department of Corrective Services spokeswoman told Perth Now police were investigating the incident.

In recent months, a tattoo shop was firebombed, bikies were assaulted and explosives were seized.

The injured Rock Machine bikie is facing charges of attempted murder, wilfully destroying evidence and possessing an unlicensed firearm.

Police allege he went to Mr Martin's home on March 18 and fired a gun twice in a drive-by shooting.

One shot hit Mr Martin in the elbow while the second struck a motorcycle at the house.

Police allege the accused later set a car on fire to destroy evidence.

 

MAN accused of shooting dead a nominee of the Rebels bikie gang at his Dianella home last year could stand trial for murder in November

MAN accused of shooting dead a nominee of the Rebels bikie gang at his Dianella home last year could stand trial for murder in November, a court has heard.

Kaine Phillip McNamara, of Bicton, has been charged with the murder of 39-year-old father of two Mario Perrin.

Mr Perrin, who was a nominee for membership of the Rebels bikie gang, died in hospital after being shot in the head at his home in October last year.

Mr McNamara, 32, has been charged over the shooting and has been held in custody for seven months.

Today Mr McNamara appeared in the Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court via video link from Casuarina Prison.

The court was told that a ballistics trajectory report pertaining to the case was yet to be finished and that the trial would take up to three weeks.

Magistrate Jan Whitbread listed Mr McNamara’s case for a provisional trial date beginning on November 14.

lawyer for a former member of the Coffin Cheaters bikie gang says he intends to plead not guilty to an attempted murder charge.

Mark Raymond Hinchliff is accused of shooting Scott Paul Williams in the head and cutting his throat at a North Yunderup property earlier this month.

His lawyer told the Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court his client will plead not guilty and intends to apply for bail at a later stage.

Mr Hinchliff was remanded in custody and is due back in court next month.

South Australian man was arrested and charged overnight after police allegedly uncovered about 15 kilograms of cannabis in his car near Kununurra.

Detectives intercepted the 63-year-old man in his Ford utility at the Ord River Roadhouse, and officers searched his vehicle alleging to have uncovered a large quantity of cannabis.

The street value of the haul is estimated at $400,000.

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The man will appear in Kununurra Magistrate's Court this morning, charged with possession of a prohibited drug with intent to sell or supply.

Police would not confirm if this latest drug find is related to a number of recent arrests of Gypsy Joker Motorcycle Gang members who had allegedly been using truck drivers to bring large quantities of cannabis into WA from South Australia.

On April 7, three South Australian truck drivers and a 41-year-old Kalgoorlie man with links to the bikie gang have were charged over the seizure of 29.1 kilograms of cannabis, with a street value of close to $1.5 million.

On April 30, two WA men were charged over a 20 kilogram cannabis haul allegedly uncovered in the vehicle of one of the men, estimated to be worth about $500,000.

In addition to this, police also seized about 29 kilograms of South Australian cannabis in WA during March.

Officers attached to Strike Force Raptor arrested a 46-year-old man on Saturday night, after they searched and allegedly found two loaded firearms and a telescopic rifle at a house in Criterion Crescent, Doonside.

Officers attached to Strike Force Raptor arrested a 46-year-old man on Saturday night, after they searched and allegedly found two loaded firearms and a telescopic rifle at a house in Criterion Crescent, Doonside.

Equipment for manufacturing drugs, along with drugs including cannabis and prescription medicines were also found.

Police allege the arrested man, who was charged with offences including two counts of possessing an unauthorised firearm, and three counts of possessing a prohibited drug, is an associate of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

He has been granted conditional bail to appear at Blacktown Local Court on June 16.

Strike Force Raptor was set up by police to target outlaw motorcycle gangs and alleged associates after an ongoing conflict between the Hells Angels and Comanchero gangs led to the death of 29-year-old Anthony Zervas in March, 2009.

POLICE fear innocent members of the community may get caught up in a bikie war involving rival factions of the Bros outlaw motorcycle gang

POLICE fear innocent members of the community may get caught up in a bikie war involving rival factions of the Bros outlaw motorcycle gang, a court heard.

Loaded firearms, including a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a pump-action shotgun on a Yarraville clubhouse bar, another rifle in a suspect's house and ammunition for a high-powered assault rifle - as well as suspected drugs - were recovered during Operation Indigo search warrants, detective Sen-Constable Justin Wool told Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

Sen-Constable Wool, in opposing bail for alleged gang member Steven Manevski, said he held concerns for community safety because of what he called the Bros gang's ready access to loaded weapons and their contempt for the law in travelling around with them.

Sen-Constable Wool said police believed there was a potential for violence between the Bros' rival Yarraville and Melton chapters, with a Melton clubhouse burned down in suspicious circumstances.

"Someone in the community, as a matter of bad luck, may get caught in the crossfire," he said.

Magistrate Donna Bakos will rule today on whether Mr Manevski, 24, of Wyndhamvale, should be given bail.

Also arrested during last week's raids was Mr Manevski's father, Doug, the alleged president of the Bros, and Theodoros Kosmidis, 25.

The men face a range of firearms and drug-related offences and are yet to indicate a plea or whether the charges will be contested.

Sen-Constable Wool told the court the investigation into the Bros had uncovered evidence of organised crime and that police found a loaded pistol under a car seat when they intercepted Steven and Doug Manevski in a vehicle last Thursday.

With at least four search warrants executed at several locations last Thursday, police also seized 16g of a white, rock-powder substance believed to be illicit drugs, weapons including knuckle-dusters and batons, and a ballistic vest.

THE Rebel Motorcycle Gang has been dealt a major blow with police arresting five members of the group during a major operation on the Central Coast today

About 6am officers from the Gangs Squad, Strike Force Raptor, the Public Order Riot Squad and police from Tuggerah Lakes and Brisbane Water Local Area Command, executed 11 simultaneous raids across the coast during an operation targeting outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Search warrants were executed by police on both ends of the coast, including three at The Entrance.

There were also raids at Tumbi Umbi, Forresters Beach, Terrigal, Buff Point, Bateau Bay, Mannering Park, Niagara Park and Warners Bay.

Seven people were arrested, including five members of the Rebels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang and two associates.

Police are expected to lay charges and issue court attendance notices as a result of the operation.

During the raids police seized multiple firearms, including an unregistered .22 calibre rifle, .177 calibre rifle and a .177 calibre pistol, as well as a quantity of ammunition.

Officers also found a quantity of cannabis, steroids, cocaine and amphetamines, 80 oxycontin tablets, $10,700 in cash and a number of other prohibited weapons including a stun gun, laser pointer and slingshot.

Bouncers 'knew bikies' involved in Cottesloe pub death

Police are investigating whether bouncers at a Perth beachside pub allowed outlaw motorcycle gang members access despite management wishing to bar them, hours before a 29-year-old man was allegedly thrown through the pub's second storey window.

A 25-year-old man and associate of the motorcycle gang Rock Machine was charged overnight over the death of the older man, who crashed through the Ocean Beach Hotel's glass pane and plummeted seven metres to the pavement below.

Pub revellers tried helping the injured man, who was found in a pool of blood and broken glass and had suffered serious head and spinal wounds from the fall.



He was treated at the scene before being taken to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in a critical condition, but died from his injuries in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Police were called to the popular Sunday drinking spot on Marine Parade in Cottesloe about 9pm, and after speaking to witnesses tracked down the man they believed responsible.

Major crime detectives said the Rock Machine associate was in the company of up five members of the bikie gang that night.


Police want to speak to the two women who were seen talking to the victim.
A witness told WAtoday.com.au that the bouncers were "friendly" with the gang members and had allowed them into the hotel once before. Management have refused to comment but they were reportedly concerned by the bikies presence in the pub.

Acting Detective Superintendent David Bryson confirmed he had heard such reports and it was "something that we would have to look into".

He alleged the victim was "casually chatting" with two women shortly before an argument erupted between the gang and the man.

A different witness has claimed the man was punched before being thrown at the window.  However Detective Bryson said police were still reviewing CCTV footage and were still trying to determine if more bikie gang members were involved.

"This is a case of a young man on a Sunday night out with his friends having a beer and simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Detective Bryson said.

"This young man did not provoke anyone, this is what we will allege, and he was simply grabbed and thrown through a level two plate glass window, the drop from that window was approximately seven metres."

One witness named "Craig" told radio 6PR he was at the Ocean Beach Hotel but left 10 minutes before the fatal window-push because he had a "gut-feeling" that it was a "good time to leave".

He said a group of about seven people aged in their mid-20s to mid-30s were dancing and having a good time on the pub's second floor when a second group of people entered.

"... when a particular group walked in  I didn't feel comfortable up there, so we left," he said.

"They were big people, they were very solid, a group of three blokes and a couple of females. They seemed very, very agitated."

Detective Superintendent Charlie Carver, of organised and serious crime, said it was concerning that innocent members of the public can become embroiled in fights with gang members at bars and hotels, since gangs "resort straight up with violence".

"The Liquor Act does give (licencees) the power to bar them... but the Rock Machine don't have a patch per say, they have a patch when they feel like it, they bring it out but they don't actually wear the patch every day of week," he said.

"They work on a series of rings and knowledge of their own membership, so that's generally how they work, so to identify them is very difficult.

"But again I can say the licensing enforcement division is looking at certain aspects in relation to a lot of the liquor outlets and members being let in to drink, etc."

It is the second incident of someone going through a window at the pub, a South Australian man was convicted last week of assaulting a patron by causing him to fall out of the lower storey window.

Matthew Angus Morran, 28, was found guilty of assaulting 53-year old Phillip McElhinney and causing him bodily harm by a Perth Magistrate.

The court heard how the older man was shoved, stumbling over chairs and out the window of the hotel, where he suffered serious injuries in October last year.

Morran was fined $4000 and court costs and granted a spent conviction.

Detective Superintendent Jim Migro, of the licensing enforcement division, told Howard Sattler on radio 6PR he could not comment on Sunday's incident but did defend hotels generally.

"Most of the licensees out and about the state actually do, do a pretty good job. Occasionally there are some who don't," he said.

"One of the biggest issues here, as I said before, is that a lot of the people who go to these pubs really have to start taking some accountability for the way that they behave and start to realise they have to be responsible adults and there's more to getting drunk and getting into fights."

He said current research shows that 75 per cent of all alcohol is through bottle shops.

"If people continue on this way, you could very, very well in the future get back to the total prohibition days and nobody wants that type of thing."

 

Police stopped 17 Comanchero motorcycles and support vehicles at Bewong, south of Nowra, yesterday as members of two Victorian chapters travelled north on a national ride.

Police say 16 notices have been issued to Victorian members of a bikie gang on the New South Wales south coast.

Police stopped 17 Comanchero motorcycles and support vehicles at Bewong, south of Nowra, yesterday as members of two Victorian chapters travelled north on a national ride.

Police issued seven traffic infringements, five defect notices and three environment notices.

One senior member was issued with a licence suspension notice.

Earlier in the day, officers stopped a member of the Fourth Reich bikie gang and issued two traffic infringement notices.

BIKIE Ross Brand's murderer has made a bid for freedom while his brother appeals for leniency for his role in the killing.

Derek and John Bedson, who are members of Death Before Dishonour, an offshoot of the Rebels Motorcycle Club, shot 51-year-old Brand outside the Bandidos' Breakwater club house on Geelong Cup day in 2008.

John Bedson, 27, has appealed against his conviction and 23-year jail term after a jury found him guilty of murder.

The jury rejected his not-guilty plea and found he fired at least six shots with the intention of killing a rival member as payback over a fight at Geelong racecourse earlier in the day.

Derek Bedson, who initiated the shooting, was jailed for 12 years after pleading guilty to manslaughter but is appealing against the severity of his sentence.

Unprecedented security greeted about 60 bikies from the rival gangs who packed the courtroom when Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Curtain sentenced the duo in Geelong in March.


She told John Bedson his actions were driven by a "misguided loyalty to the Rebels, or DBD".

"You came to the view that you were justified in taking retaliatory action," Justice Curtain said.

The getaway driver told the trial John Bedson covered his face with a bandanna before opening fire from a car with a hail of bullets, including one that hit Brand in the head.

"I heard a noise like fireworks coming from behind me," the driver, who cannot be named, said.

He said he then was told to "go, go, go".

Two shots hit another male in the buttocks and arm.

John Bedson must serve a minimum of 18 years before being eligible for parole.

Derek Bedson must serve a minimum of eight years before he is eligible for parole.

The sentencing of the Bedson brothers ended the latest chapter in Geelong's bikie turf war.

Rivalry between the Bandidos and Rebels Motorcycle Group has led to death, multiple shootings, alleged kidnapping, fire bombs and brawls in public.

Previous raids at the conflicting clubs have netted hauls of weapons including loaded firearms and swords, and large quantities of drugs.

Rhonda Brand, sister-in-law of Ross, said she was non-plussed with the appeals.

"My reaction is that we don't really care," she said.

"We've been down that road already and we know they got their just desserts to start with.

"We did expect that Derek would appeal but we didn't think John Bedson would."

Asked if they would follow the appeal, Ms Brand said it was unlikely.

"It's too taxing to sit in a court for days and days on end, so I'm not sure if we would go through that again," she said.

FOUR men have been charged with drug trafficking on the Gold Coast, including two members of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang.

The four men were charged with a total of 18 offences on Thursday following a four-month police operation.

The men were arrested after investigators from State Crime Operations Command's Taskforce Hydra searched Gold Coast homes throughout April and seized MDMA tablets, methamphetamine, steroids, cannabis, drug utensils and a sum of cash.

The two men from the Bandidos included a 38-year-old from Surfers Paradise and a 29-year-old Helensvale man, with the others being a 31-year-old from Worongary and a 27-year-old from Upper Coomera.

They will appear in the Southport Magistrates Court on May 6 charged with drug trafficking and other offences.

THREE men appeared in court today after drugs and guns were seized in police raids on an outlaw motorcycle gang yesterday.

Heavily armed Special Operations Group police stormed a clubhouse in Yarraville yesterday as part of an investigation by the drug taskforce into trafficking in the western suburbs.

Three men appeared in court today following the raids at the Bros motorcycle club and on homes in Melbourne's west yesterday .

Theodoros Kosmidis, 25, Doug Manevski, 55, and Steven Manevski, 24, faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court today charged with firearm and weapons offences.

Police found a sword, two knuckle dusters, a Nazi dagger, guns and ammunition when they raided Doug Manevski's Werribee home yesterday, court documents show.

His son Steven was found with guns, ammunition and batons at his Wyndham Vale home, it is alleged.
A pump action shotgun, sportsman long arm gun with scope, an electric current emitting device, flick knife and ammunition were allegedly found at the Yarraville clubhouse, which is also listed in court documents as Kosmidis' address.

Kosmidis and Steven Manevski face an additional charge of possessing methylamphetamine.

The men did not apply for bail and will next appear in court for a mention hearing on Wednesday.

The Echo Task Force, dedicated to investigating outlaw motorcycle gangs, took part in the operation, codenamed Indigo.

Italian extradited to Sydney over double murder

Australian police have extradited a 65-year-old man from Italy over a double murder in Sydney's inner-west two years ago.
Brothers Albert and Marcus Frisoli, both in their 50s, were found stabbed to death in their home at Rozelle in May 2009.
At the time police described their deaths as violent.
Yesterday morning the man accused of their murders was flown to Sydney and charged after a joint operation between Australian police, Italian police and Interpol officers in Rome last Monday led to his arrest.
The accused is set to appear before Parramatta Bail Court today.