Alleged Comanchero and Finks bikies Mpoyi Mutanda and Bradley Michael Banks face court charged with jailhouse perjury plot
Two alleged bikies in rival outlaw gangs have faced court side-by-side over allegations surrounding a strange deal they made in a prison cell.
Police & Courts
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An alleged Comanchero bikie has been accused of agreeing to take the fall for his cellmate’s drug offending even though hiscellmate was allegedly a member of the rival Finks gang, a court has heard.
On Wednesday, the Adelaide Magistrates Court heard prosecutors would proceed with charges against alleged Comanchero Mpoyi Mutanda and alleged Fink Bradley Michael Banks.
Mr Mutanda, 22, of Blair Athol, was charged with perjury while Mr Banks, 27, of Para Hills, was charged with subornation of perjury over an alleged incident at Mobilong Prison.
Prosecutors have alleged that, sometime prior to December last year, Mr Mutanda and Mr Banks requested and received a statutory declaration from a prison case manager.
Mr Mutanda, they alleged, used the document to falsely take responsibility for drug trafficking charges that had been laid against Mr Banks.
Prosecutors further alleged Mr Mutanda was in no way linked to Mr Banks’ alleged offending.
Also, Mr Mutanda has pleaded guilty to being present in public with two or more criminal organisation participants, carrying an offensive weapon and possessing a prescription drug.
Those charges arise from an incident at Prospect in August last year, during which police arrested six members of the Comanchero at a park on Alexander Street.
Prosecutors alleged the gang’s current commander, Stefanos Anagnostopolous, and sergeant-at-arms, Nelson Erneo, were among those arrested.
On Wednesday, counsel for Mr Banks said their client was not in a position to enter a plea to the charge, and had yet to engage in negotiations with prosecutors.
Counsel for Mr Mutanda, meanwhile, said they would argue their client had no case to answer on the perjury charged – and asked he be immediately released on home detention bail.
Magistrate Simon Smart released Mr Mutanda on home detention bail, and remanded Mr Banks in custody, to face court again in August.
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