Instagram feud: Criminologist says old school bikies would be embarrassed

IT is the unprecedented Instagram feud involving ex-bikies and their glamorous Gold Coast girlfriends that’s fascinating Australia. But it appears not everyone is impressed.

Ben “Notorious” Geppert with Allaina Vader, left, and Brett “Kaos” Pechey with Rikki Louise Jones, right.

IT is the unprecedented Instagram war involving ex-bikies and their glamorous Gold Coast girlfriends that’s fascinating Australia.

But one crime expert believes the public feud is a strict departure from underworld norms that would leave old school bikies shaking their heads.

Ex-Hells Angel member Ben “Notorious” Geppert, 26, has been goading former West End Bandidos president Brett “Kaos” Pechey, 31, in a series of combative Instagram posts.

The Gold Coast bad boys had previously been on good terms thanks to sharing a blood link through their Insta celebrity girlfriends – Allaina Vader and Rikki Louise Jones – who are both cousins.

Geppert and Vader on holidays.

But the relationship soured when the hulking Geppert accused Pechey of the gravest of sins in the criminal underworld – being a police informant.

“Kaos you weak boneyard dog,” a February post from Geppert claimed.

In an expletive riddled Instagram video earlier this month the former Finks member wasn’t backing down.

Geppert’s girlfriend Allaina Vader and Pechey’s fiance Rikki Jones have also been dragged into the mud, with the cousins trading insults.

Rikki Louise Jones and Allaina Vaider.

Rikki Louise Jones leaving Southport Courthouse this month. Picture: Jerad Williams

It’s unclear what triggered the stoush but Geppert yesterday told The Courier-Mail it was “dishonesty”.

“And that’s all I’ll say about that without incriminating myself,” he mysteriously added.

In years gone by such disagreements among Queensland’s underbelly would have been conducted out of the public eye.

But the current feud is giving tens of thousands of followers an all access pass.

Sutton, Geppert, Vader and Pechey have a combined Instagram following of more than 55,000 people.

“If you look at the behaviour of those two it would probably be highly embarrassing to the traditional old style bikies that this type of behaviour is undertaken,” Bond University criminologist Dr Terry Goldsworthy said.

“It’s almost like schoolboy stuff but I guess it’s a reflection of the wider society that we all live our lives on social media now and it’s about how many likes you get and how many views you get.”

Ben Geppert.

Brett Pechey.

Despite the juvenile antics there’s always the “possibility it could turn into violence” given who’s involved.

Earlier this month Pechey was charged in relation to an alleged three-hour standoff involving 26 police officers, during which it is claimed Pechy threatened to stab police.

Pechey had allegedly barricaded himself in Jones’ Gold Coast home armed with swords and threatened “that he would stab them if they didn’t shoot him”.

His charges included assault police, wilful damage and public nuisance. He was granted bail on the condition he live in Perth and not return to the Glitter Strip except for court appearances.

Geppert is no stranger to the law, having got out of jail about a year ago, but has recently vowed to go straight.

He first came on the radar in 2015 when he allegedly took to a Hells Angel member with a baseball bat at Varsity Lakes in front of horrified diners.

The charges against Geppert, who had earlier patched over to the Finks from the Hells Angels, were later dropped.

In 2017 he pleaded guilty to attempting to pervert the course of justice over a driving matter and received three months behind bars, but was released on immediate parole.

In March, drugs charges against Geppert were dropped in the Southport Magistrates Court.

Asked whether he feared his beef with Pechey might spill over to reality Geppert stated:

“I’m not worried about Peachey (sic) he’s a girl. And I’m not worried about anyone x.”