Steven Sanderson, 32, in strife at nightclub for ignoring Mongrel Mob warning

Police used security camera footage from a nightclub to prosecute a man who said he “obviously won’t be doing it again”.

Men flaunting their Mongrel Mob colours. Generic image.

A man caught wearing an illegal shirt linked to an international street gang after police warned him not to, has faced court.

Steven Sanderson, 32, pleaded guilty in Biloela Magistrates Court on January 12 to wearing a prohibited item in a public place.

The court heard that on September 26, 2021, police spoke with Sanderson about him wearing a Kingdom Car Club shirt, linked to the Mongrel Mob street gang, in public.

Sanderson was cautioned on this occasion.

Then on November 26, Sanderson wore a Kingdom Car Club shirt to Gladstone’s Mieplace Niteclub and this was captured on CCTV footage.

He was subsequently charged.

The court heard that Sanderson had drug offending on his criminal history.

Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale noted that she had previously dealt with people in the Biloela court for the charge of wearing a prohibited item in public, in relation to the Kingdom Car Club/Mongrel Mob.

She referenced that she had fined those offenders $250.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Kevin Ongheen asked Ms Beckinsale to consider a higher fine for Sanderson given that he had been “very fairly” given a police warning on September 26 and he had then ignored that warning.

Sanderson, representing himself in court, told Ms Beckinsale that there was not much that he could say, only that he “obviously won’t be doing it again”.

Ms Beckinsale told Sanderson that wearing these items was against the law and that was hard for a lot of people “to get their heads around”.

She fined Sanderson $250 and did not record a conviction.