Seven senior bikies front Brisbane Magistrates Court charged with murder of Shane Bowden

Several senior bikies from Brisbane’s Mongols club have faced court over the alleged murder of Shane Bowden, as a lawyer acting for the men accuses police of ‘enjoying making headlines’.

The lawyer representing eight alleged Mongols bikies charged with the murder of Shane Bowden says he will be “surprised” if the charges stick to the men, who are “bewildered” by the allegations.

Eight members of the Brisbane West Mongols bikie gang were arrested at the weekend and had their cases briefly mentioned in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today.

Haydn Thomas Forbes, 25, the son of bikie boss Nick ‘The Knife’ Forbes, along with Junior Jasmine Torope, 29, Fidel Gunes, 29, David Steven Meatuai, 41, Junior Jasmine Mau’u, 23, Joshua James Small, 29, and Peter Michael Cummins, 35, have each been charged with one count of murder serious organised crime.

Shane Bowden

Haydn Forbes.

They appeared after police raided homes across southeast Queensland on Sunday as part of a major investigation into Bowden’s death.

Bowden, who was a long-term member of the Mongols before defecting to the Finks shortly before his death, was gunned down in the garage of his Pimpama home on October 12 last year.

The arrests came after Brisbane West Mongols chapter president Ian Ronald Crowden, 46, was charged with Bowden’s murder on Saturday.

Outside court defence lawyer Michael Gatenby, who acts for all eight men, said it was not a “total surprise” to the men that they were persons of interest given the extensive ongoing investigations.

“At the moment it seems some of the charges are quite spurious,” Mr Gatenby said.

“Some people have almost no involvement in the alleged offending, some people have done some things on the crown case very early in time and a couple of people have done things allegedly after it’s occurred so it’s very early days and we’ll let the police provide their material.”

Police charge another seven men over the shooting death of bikie enforcer Shane Bowden

None of the accused were in court as their matters were mentioned briefly. All have been adjourned until August 2.

“Some of those people that are charged here you would think they wouldn’t ordinarily be charged with this offence but the police obviously have enjoyed making some headlines and claiming the club has been decimated and the like but ultimately it will be a question whether those charges are proven,” Mr Gatenby said.

“I’d be very surprised if the murder charge stuck in relation to the bulk of the men as a prima facie case but time will tell.”

Each of the eight men are charged with one count of murder as a serious organised crime.

Those charged with murder cannot apply for bail in the Magistrates Court jurisdiction and Mr Gatenby said he already held instructions to apply for Supreme Court bail for a number of the accused men.

Police arrest men over the shooting of bikie enforcer Shane Bowden

He said at this stage there appeared to be no conflict in him acting for all eight defendants.

“They each say they’re bewildered by the charges that they’re facing …,” Mr Gatenby said.

The major breakthrough came after police offered $250,000 reward for anyone who knew about the killing, with an indemnity for people who didn’t commit the murder.

Police had also released CCTV footage of two masked men running from Bowden’s home seconds after the shooting.

Detectives said the arrests were nationally significant and had “decimated” a whole chapter of the notorious gang.

“These arrests have decimated a whole chapter of the Mongols OMCG,” Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said.

“The numbers involved are unprecedented and will be nationally significant. It points to the true nature of these gangs but importantly the ability of law enforcement to break their so-called loyalty and code of silence and bring them to justice.”