Former Comanchero and New Boy Vince Focarelli and son Giuseppe 'chased down, bashed victim', court hears

FORMER bikie gang leader Vince Focarelli and his son chased down and bashed a man, a court has heard.

FORMER bikie gang leader Vince Focarelli and his son chased down and bashed a man, a court has heard.

Focarelli and his son, Giuseppe, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court this afternoon on charges of aggravated assault, unlawful detention, threatening to kill and using a motor vehicle without consent.

Prosecutors said that late on November 25, and into the early hours of November 26, at Teringie, the duo used fists, feet and a T-shirt to bash and restrain the alleged victim.

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Lawyers for the Focarellis, however, said the only ones who had caused the alleged victim to suffer were the police, who had "harassed" him into making a statement.

Giuseppe Focarelli, 18, was arrested at 5am on Tuesday as he drove home from his work as a baker.

Vince, 37, - a former Commancheros bikie and New Boy who has survived six attempts on his life - was charged at 1pm on Wednesday after surrendering to police in answer to an arrest warrant.

Court documents allege Vince Focarelli is also known by the name "Abdullah Salaam Imran".

Prosecutor Andrew Nicholls told the court the charges related to an assault on the alleged victim, which began in Adelaide on Tuesday night.

"(The alleged victim) says he received a call from his girlfriend to pick her up from a bus stop (but) was intercepted by two unknown vehicles, which pursued and boxed him in," he said.

"He recognised the people in the car as Vince and Giuseppe Focarelli ... the pushed him into the seat of his vehicle, placed a T-shirt around his neck and pulled it tight when he moved or spoke."

He said the alleged victim was punched and kicked repeatedly before the Focarellis drove him, in his own car, to Teringie where other people were called to the attack.

"He managed to escape, was pursued and further assaulted ... he was (eventually)assisted by a member of the public on Old Norton Summit Rd," he said. He was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospita hospital with head injuries, and received two staples (in his skull).

Steven Georgiadis, for the Focarellis, said his clients denied the allegations. He tendered an affidavit, sworn by the alleged victim, which he said accused SA Police of "pressuring, harassing and intimidating" him to make statements.

"(The alleged victim) has retained a lawyer (who) has advised the investigating officer not to contact her client without speaking to her first," he said.

He said the Focarellis should be released on bail.

Magistrate Bob Harrap agreed the allegations were serious but said the affidavit raised concerns that should be investigated by police. He ordered a home detention bail inquiry report about Giuseppe Focarelli and remanded him in custody until Wednesday.

Because Vince Focarelli could not provide a phone number for a home detention address, Mr Harrap remanded him in custody until February.

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Focarelli, who has survived six attempts on his life, was released from jail in late April after serving 14 months on drug and firearm charges.

The charges stemmed from a gun and a quantity of the drug fantasy that police found on the night Focarelli's son, Giovanni, 22, was killed in an ambush attack at Dry Creek in January, 2012.

Focarelli was also shot multiple times during the ambush but survived. He was subsequently held in custody and missed his son's funeral.

Focarelli has also survived a shooting in 2009, a bungled bombing that killed two Hells Angels associates in 2010, a confrontation with a gun-wielding attacker inside a suburban supermarket in 2010, a shooting at Munno Para West in 2011 and a shooting near the Findon Hotel in 2012.

It is believed Focarelli was originally associated with the Hells Angels, then formed the New Boys street gang in late 2007.

In 2010 or 2011, he became president of the first SA chapter of the Comancheros bikies gang - but then fell out with senior members of the gang in the eastern states and was apparently kicked out.

In June, The Advertiser revealed Focarelli had been banned from the grounds of the University of SA after applying to become a student and using the campus' prayer room.

Focarelli was subsequently summonsed to a Parole Board hearing after he and Mr Georgiadis complained the body had "tightened its leash" without reason.

His parole expired, without further incident, in August - at the time, Mr Georgiadis said his client was looking forward to "continuing life with family".

Giuseppe Focarelli was arrested at 5am on Tuesday for driving while disqualified.

Although he received bail for that offence, he was then held in custody on allegations he had unlawfully detained a man in an Adelaide suburb on Monday night.

He was also charged with aggravated assault causing harm and making unlawful threats.

The Advertiser understands Giuseppe - named for his late grandfather - previously worked at Foodland in Norwood.

For the past two weeks, he has worked night shift at a suburban bakery.

He accompanied his father and brother to past court appearances, and wore a white suit and served as a pallbearer at his grandfather's funeral.