Bikie quits city nightclub

A CONVICTED drug dealer and an outlaw motorcycle gang member were among people operating East End nightclub Church, a court heard yesterday.

A CONVICTED drug dealer and an outlaw motorcycle gang member were among people operating East End nightclub Church, a court heard yesterday.

The Liquor Licensing Court was told Church had purged itself of any criminal connections by "restructuring" its management.

The club confirmed the removal of Mark Gerard Zerella, a gang member who had acted as both a shareholder and a licensee.

It also announced the resignation of company director Jason Ravesi, who is serving a suspended sentence for cannabis offences.

Authorities, however, have vowed to continue their investigation, warning that the club could be shut down. On Saturday, The Advertiser reported police fears that its directorship had been taken over by the Hell's Angels. The allegations, lodged in court yesterday, follow the closures of Rise and Heaven II in recent months over bikie links.

Yesterday, John Firth, for the club, said the venue had been owned by St Helen Pty Ltd and the Ravesi family for 11 years.

He said the family's inquiries had confirmed Mr Zerella's "fully-fledged membership" of a motorcycle club, and he had "withdrawn totally from the company".

The matter was adjourned. Outside court, former Church spokesman Sean Craig Murphy said he had resigned and relinquished his shares three weeks ago. There is no complaint against Mr Murphy.