Bail with conditions for ex-bikie charged with accessory to Omega Ruston murder

A former Bandido sergeant-at-arms turned podcaster, who is charged with being an accessory after the fact to the Gold Coast murder of Omega Ruston in 2009, is back at home after he was granted bail.

A former bikie who is charged with being an accessory after the fact to the murder of Omega Ruston on the Gold Coast 13 years ago has been granted bail with a long list of conditions.

Brent Luke Simpson, 45, an ex-sergeant-at-arms of the Bandidos bikie gang, who created The Clink podcast, is also facing charges of perjury and attempted corruption of a witness.

Police allege Mr Ruston, a construction worker and father-of-two, was leaving Australia Day celebrations at North Burleigh in 2009 when he was fatally shot in an alleged road rage incident.

Omega Ruston. Picture: Facebook

It has been alleged Mr Ruston, 32, got into a verbal exchange with a group travelling in a maroon sedan, while both cars were travelling south on the Gold Coast Hwy.

Mr Ruston pulled over and got out of his car, near a McDonald’s restaurant at Burleigh Heads, at about 10.25pm, when he was shot by a gunman in the maroon sedan, police have previously alleged.

Police allege Simpson provided immediate assistance to the offenders after the alleged murder had been committed.

He also is charged with 18 counts of perjury at a Crime and Corruption Commission hearing last year, according to court documents.

Simpson is alleged to have given false testimony to the effect that he did not know who had done the shooting or did not see the men he allegedly brought to his home on the night of the shooting.

He is also charged with attempting to corrupt a witness, by allegedly using coercive control to stop the person giving truthful testimony at the CCC hearing.

Chief Magistrate Judge Terry Gardiner heard a bail application by a lawyer on behalf of Simpson, who was charged in February, in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Simpson had to show cause why he should be granted bail, as he was on bail on an affray charge at the time of the 2009 alleged offence.

The court heard he had since been fined for the affray.

Simpson’s lawyer submitted that he had strong ties to the Gold Coast community.

The prosecution claimed there was a risk of Simpson committing further offences or interfering with witnesses if released on bail.

But Judge Gardiner accepted submissions that the risks could be reduced to an acceptable level with strict bail conditions.

He granted bail with conditions that Simpson have no contact or communication with Crown witnesses or anyone associated or affiliated with outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Ex-bikie enforcer Brent Simpson now runs a popular podcast. Picture: supplied

Simpson has to live at Palm Beach, report to police daily, abide by a curfew between 9pm and 6am, have no weapons or drugs, surrender his passport, not go near an airport or leave Australia and not leave Queensland without permission.

Simpson is only allowed to have one mobile phone, with no encryption apps, and he must give police all phone details. He also must undergo drug testing if required.

The prosecution asked for an order prohibiting publication of any representations made in court during the bail application, but Judge Gardiner declined to make the order.

“In my view these proceedings should be as open as possible,’’ Judge Gardiner said.

However, he ordered that information about the identities of two people could not be published.

Simpson, who is host of The Clink podcast, which is promoted as dealing with “real life stories of redemption’’, is due to appear in court on March 21.

Three other men, Paul Younan, Haysam Hamdan and Toni Elbayeh, who were arrested in Sydney in February, were charged in connection with the murder of Mr Ruston.

Alleged gunman Younan is charged with murder and 27 counts of perjury, Hamdan is charged with murder and accessory after the fact to murder and Elbayeh is charged with accessory after the fact to murder and 30 counts of perjury.