OneFour Jemz: Jerome Misa, Rekindle Tautalaga, Alai Ahio, Sione Lausii fight gun charges

The colourful rapper claims police “unlawfully” seized a mobile phone which had videos of him and friends fooling around with replica guns.

The face of controversial rap group OneFour is fighting a criminal charge after police allege they found videos of him brandishing a replica pistol.

The prominent drill rapper, Jemz, formally known as Jerome Misa, is one of four men charged with possessing a prohibited firearm following a police investigation into a shooting in Sydney’s west in 2019.

The 23-year-old Bligh Park man pleaded not guilty to police allegations involving a video of him taken in April 2019, which was found on a seized mobile phone.

Rekindle Tautalaga, 24, of Plumpton, pleaded not guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm and another of possessing ammunition without authority.

OneFour rapper Jemz is fighting gun charges. Picture: Instagram

Alai Ahio, 23, of Tregear, and Sione Lamipeti Lausii, 23, of Dharruk, also deny one charge of possessing a prohibited firearm.

During an all-day hearing at Mt Druitt Local Court on Thursday, the defence argued the phone on which the videos were allegedly found was unlawfully seized by police during a search on May 25, 2019.

The court heard Mr Misa and three associates were allegedly identified on four videos obtained from the phone when several of the co-accuseds were pulled over in the Westmead Hospital carpark.

The prosecution maintains police had lawful grounds to seize the phone as part of an investigation into the shooting of the men’s friend at a home in Oakhurst earlier that evening.

Rekindle Tautalaga at a prior court appearance.

Several of the co-accuseds picked the victim up from his home and drove him to Mt Druitt Hospital before he was transferred to Westmead Hospital for treatment for a single gunshot wound, the court heard.

As the men followed behind the ambulance, police intercepted the car at the hospital carpark and surrounded the vehicle with their guns drawn before a search.

The defence argued the police had no authority to stop the car, search the car or the men inside, or seize the phone as a result of their search.

However, police officers cross-examined during the hearing argued they had reasonable grounds in their suspicions that the phone or the car might contain evidence connected to the shooting.

Jemz has been charged with possessing an unauthorised firearm. Picture: Supplied

Four videos, including some of which were posted on Snapchat, were found on the mobile phone belonging to Mr Ahio.

In one of the videos played to the court, Mr Misa is shown pretending to shoot the replica pistol towards the camera as another man says “Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang” while also making a similar gesture with a second firearm.

A Snapchat video shows several of the accuseds aiming guns at the camera while listening to rap music, while a third video shows several of the men sitting around a table with replica firearms as the camera holder holds ammunition in his hand.

A man was taken to Westmead Hospital with a gunshot wound. Picture: Angelo Velardo

“It defies logic that the shooters would drop the victim off to hospital … nothing in that chain of events gives rise to a reasonable suspicion to stop, search and detain persons,” the defence argued.

“This was a phone that was seized opportunistically.”

The matter will return to court in November.