OneFour: William Papaliitele, Rekindle Tautalaga and Patric Pasikala front court over brawls
Three men who had links to street gang OneFour, including a promising footballer who knocked out the owner of a shisha cafe, were involved in a wild street brawl with a rival gang.
Parramatta
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Three men associated with Mt Druitt street gang OneFour — including a promising footballer who knocked the owner of a shisha cafe unconscious — have reformed their bad ways and have been warned by a magistrate to avoid the “never-ending, tit-for-tat’’ ways of gang life.
William Papaliitele, 22, Rekindle Tautalaga, 23, and Patric Pasikala, 28, avoided jail when they fronted Parramatta Local Court for sentencing after each pleading guilty to charges of affray on Thursday.
Papaliitele was involved in a wild fight at the Sheeshe and Man’oushe cafe at Auburn on the night of June 18 while Pasikala was involved in a brawl at the corner of Argyle and Church streets at Parramatta after 1pm the same day.
Pasikala, also known as Simeone, is not a OneFour gang member but was with two gang members in the back seat of a car when they were approached by two armed members of rivals from the Inner West, also known as 21 District, gang.
The court heard it was not necessary for Pasikala to get out of the car and assault two members during the brief but violent brawl which horrified onlookers witnessed.
Plumpton man Tautalaga — who is a Hillsong youth leader — pleaded guilty to affray for a fight with InnerWest gang members at Guildford train station when he chased them and live streamed it on social media on July 10, 2019.
The fight led to a brawl at a Mt Druitt hotel, an incident for which Tautalaga was sentenced in June.
Footage of the Auburn cafe brawl shows chairs and tables being thrown as coal embers fly and diners flee the violence. The owner was knocked unconscious while trying to break up the fight that erupted between OneFour and Inner West.
At Parramatta Local Court on Thursday, defence lawyer Elias Tabchouri said the men had turned their lives around with family support.
The court heard promising footballer Papaliitele, of Hebersham, was a father with a promising football career who had family support.
Mr Tabchouri told the court house arrest allowed Tautalaga to concentrate on his family and kick a drug habit.
He told the court Hillsong had kept him centred and grounded.
“Already this is someone who continues to engage in counselling services,’’ Mr Tabchouri said.
“He’s doing the right thing. He’s ready to move on.’’
The court heard Pasikala, of Hebersham, would soon be a father and lived with his in-laws.
“He again is someone who’s living in a different world,’’ Mr Tabchouri said.
“He’s employed now. He’s doing the right things. He’s committed to his family.’’
Magistrate Robyn Denes told the court the cafe brawl had a devastating impact on the owner, who was attacked while trying to break up the fight.
“These are people’s lives,’’ she said. “You’re not small young men. That would cause people in the community significant fear. Imagine someone else who would want to go to the cafe and keep walking and go the other way. No one’s going to that cafe so that man’s business, his livelihood, how he feeds his family, is destroyed.’’
She accepted the trio had started to turn their lives around but reminded them of the vicious cycle of gang life.
“It’s a lesson to all three of them … that there’s always going to be tit for tat. You’re always defending yourself. It never ends,’’ she said.
“Sometimes being a man, you need to stand up and not do anything.
“You’re all doing the right thing. The problem is decisions made a year ago are now going to impact on you.’’
Tautalagawas convicted and received a 12-month community correction order (good behaviour bond) and 100 hours of community service work.
Magistrate Denes accepted Papaliitele’s letter of apology tendered to the court and told him he might adopt a new perspective now he was a parent. She convicted him and sentenced him to a 15-month intensive correction order and 100 hours of community service.
Pasikala was convicted and received a 15-month community correction order with 100 hours of community service.