Alleged Bandidos bikie Haumono Uepi charged with affray

An alleged Bandidos bikie will claim he acted in self-defence when he allegedly slammed a man to the ground, punched him, and kicked him in the head near a Chinatown bar, a court has heard.

Haumono Uepi. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

An alleged Bandidos bikie who allegedly slammed a man into the ground and kicked him in the head claims he acted in self defence after a woman allegedly exhorted the complainant to stab him, a court has heard.

Police will allege Haumono Uepi, 34, was captured on CCTV picking up, throwing, punching and kicking a man outside a Chinatown bar on October 4.

But Uepi has claimed he was getting McDonald’s with his cousin when the man approached him, thinking he was someone else, and put his hand inside a backpack while a woman said “stab him, stab him”.

A court heard Uepi is currently subject to a community correction order for rioting and participating in a criminal group after he and his alleged fellow Bandidos bikies wound up in a brawl with their Rebels rivals at the Wallacia Hotel in July 2022.

At Downing Centre Local Court on October 5, solicitor Mina Wassef told Magistrate Daniel Covington his client would plead not guilty to the single affray charge.

“This was a split second decision to take him to the ground to address what he thought was an immediate threat,” Mr Wassef told the court.

“(The complainant) had his arm in a backpack, and a woman immediately behind him said ‘stab him’ … he showed some restraint in only applying two strikes.”

The Downing Centre courts. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

A police prosecutor strongly opposed the bail application, noting Uepi was also subject to bail in relation to domestic violence charges he intends to defend at Bankstown Local Court in January 2024.

“It’s submitted a custodial sentence is likely given he was on a community correction order for participating in a criminal group and riot, and bail at the time of the (alleged) offending,” the prosecutor told the court.

“This is a strong case, there is CCTV footage.”

The prosecutor also submitted Uepi may have been breaching one of his community correction order stipulations not to enter a licensed premises by his proximity to the Chinatown bar. However, Mr Wassef denied his client had entered the bar and suggested he would have been refused entry even if he had tried due to his attire – a purple Lakers jersey.

Mr Covington agreed there was a strong case against Uepi.

“There is footage, the footage shows, according to the facts, that he picked the (alleged) victim up, slammed him to the ground, punched him twice then kicked him to the head and kicked him to the abdominal region,” Mr Covington said.

“It’s been said self-defence may be raised, it may be a difficult argument in terms of self-defence based on these facts.”

Mr Covington was not persuaded any combination of factors justified Uepi’s release and his bail was refused.