Bikie associate Haumono Uepi sentenced for Chinatown affray

A bikie who body-slammed a man then kicked him in the head while he was already under supervision for participating in a gang riot has been told to “find better friends” by a magistrate.

Bandidos OMCG member Haumono Uepi. Picture: Nathan Schmidt

A southwest Sydney bikie – who body slammed a man and kicked him in the head and stomach outside an inner city fast food joint – has been told to find better friends as he narrowly avoided serving further jail time.

Bandidos bikie Haumono Uepi has spent the past three months behind bars on remand after he was charged with affray over the violent incident near Sydney’s Chinatown on October 4.

At the time, he was subject to a community corrections order after he pleaded guilty to participating in a riot between Bandidos and Rebels bikies at Wallacia Hotel in July 2022.

Magistrate Megan Greenwood at Downing Centre Local Court referred to a disturbing account of Uepi’s conduct in police facts tendered during his sentencing.

“An argument broke out and at 6.15am you were observed on CCTV picking the male up off the ground with both hands and body slamming him to the ground,” Ms Greenwood said.

“You then bent down and punched him twice to his upper body area, you kicked him first to the head and then to the abdominal area with your right foot while your co-accused was kicking the victim at the same time.”

Uepi’s solicitor Mina Wassef told the court Uepi, 34, was acting in defence of his younger relative, who he alleges was assaulted by the victim.

Mr Wassef further submitted Uepi had seen the victim reach into a bag and feared he was going for a weapon – prompting him to act in self-defence.

“It’s serious violence, to kick someone in the head and the abdomen,” Ms Greenwood said.

The Downing Centre court complex. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Uepi was initially refused bail at Downing Centre Local Court the day after his arrest and has been in prison on remand ever since.

Mr Wassef told the court Uepi had experienced “a massive wake-up call” and wanted to address his mental health and anger issues, which he had initiated by seeing a psychologist in prison.

However, Ms Greenwood pointed out Uepi had been required to obtain a mental health care plan from a doctor as part of his sentence for the July 2022 riot and was yet to do so.

In a sentencing assessment report, a writer who interviewed Uepi also opined he had minimised his offending and had a propensity to engage in violence in group settings.

“You say this has been a massive wake-up call and you’re prepared to do anything it takes to have a sentence that is not full-time imprisonment,” Ms Greenwood said.

“I have to give you a sentence that reinforces your need to find better friends and denounces this conduct that makes people scared to be out and about.”

Ms Greenwood convicted Uepi and sentenced him to a nine-month intensive correction order to be served in the community with 100 hours of community service.

He will also be required to abide by a curfew between 8pm and 6am and abstain from consuming drugs or alcohol.

The magistrate also revoked the community correction order imposed for the July 2022 riot at Penrith Local Court in February 2023, and set it to start again for a 12-month period.