Finks bikies only armed themselves with meat pie before entering clubrooms where alleged assault took place, court told
THE only thing a Finks bikie armed himself with before the alleged brutal bashing of a fellow, senior member was a “meat pie”, a court has heard.
THE only thing a Finks bikie armed himself with before the alleged brutal bashing of a fellow, senior member was a “meat pie”, a court has heard.
Paul Paunovic, 38, Corey Dettmann, 41, Bozidar Cekic, 23, Dean Richard Ciantar, 23, and Mostyn Carmello Rex Niemann, 26, are standing trial in the Supreme Court.
Each have pleaded not guilty to one aggravated count of causing serious harm with intent, and one aggravated count of theft, relating to senior bikie Charles Bonnici.
He said the group’s crimes were aggravated by their use of pool cues, a vacuum cleaner and a table during the assault which was triggered by internal politics of the now-defunct bikie gang.
However, Anthony Allen, for Paunovic today told the court the theft charges — which are aggravated because they were allegedly planned — should be thrown out because the men had not intended to rob Mr Bonnici as they had not brought weapons.
“There is a complete absence of any forensic evidence linking Mr Paunovic to the joint enterprise insofar as his alleged participation in the joint enterprise to assault with weapons,” he said.
“The CCTV footage reveals that the only thing that Mr Paunovic has armed himself with is a meat pie, that’s it.”
The court has previously heard Mr Bonnici suffered multiple nose, mandible and rib fractures, a right fibula fracture and collapsed right and left lungs, internal bleeding and one of his toenails had been ripped off during the alleged assault.
It has also been shown photos of weapons, including a broken pool cue, used in the alleged assault and played CCTV vision of the accused at the Salisbury club rooms at the time of the assault.
The court has also heard a triple-0 call from another member who arrived at the club room and found the injured Mr Bonnici and also shown vision of a subsequent police search of the Finks’ Thebarton club rooms.
Today, Martin Anders, for Cekic, said Mr Bonnici was a man of “considerable statute” and if a robbery was planned then weapons would have been brought to the clubrooms.
“If the plan were to effect an attack, one would anticipate that weaponry would be deployed, that would be taken to the scene such that it could be applied in the application and furtherance of that common plan,” he said.
“The only weapons taken into the clubhouse by the accused are a pie and a soft drink, a Gatorade, or whatever it is,” he said.
The court has heard Mr Bonnici, who has declined to give evidence in the trial, was taken to hospital after another member of the club arrived and called 000.
Chief Justice Chris Kourakis dismissed the aggravated count of theft against the men.
The trial, on the charge of causing serious harm, continues.