Finks: Former bikie Timothy Martin sentenced for firearm offences
A former member of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang has told a court he wanted to leave the gang after finding religion - not a popular decision with members.
Penrith
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Timothy David Martin wanted out of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang after a stint in jail.
Ironically, his belief that his former gang had other ideas has cost him his freedom.
Martin, 29, had converted to Islam during a period of imprisonment in 2017 and decided his new-found religion did not match the values of his gang.
When Martin spoke to other members about leaving, he was met with thinly-veiled threats of violence, a court has heard.
That’s when he decided to attempt to take the law into his own hands.
Martin was arrested in August last year on firearms charges after a Strike Force Raptor raid on his Riverstone home.
Police found a working Norinco Model 213 pistol under his fridge, and eight Parabellum 9mm cartridges under his pillow.
Martin acknowledged he knew the gun and ammunition was there, and was described as “co-operative” during the search.
He later told police he had the gun for self-protection against potential retribution from the Finks.
Martin was today sentenced in Penrith District Court to three years and three months in jail, with a non-parole period of two years, for possessing an illegal pistol and breaching a firearm prohibition order.
He had previously pleaded guilty to the charges.
During the sentence, Martin told Judge Sharon Harris that conditions at Parklea Correctional Centre had deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The visits have stopped, which is affecting a lot of people,” he said.
“People are getting angry about not seeing their kids and not having money in their accounts.
“The mood is morbid at best, which has made the time here ugly. The worst thing is there’s no end in sight, it’s here for the foreseeable future.”
Martin’s half-brother told the court Martin had spoken to him about leaving the Finks.
“Tim had wanted out for quite some time,” he said. “I think he started having second thoughts straight away.
“There was maybe a little fear and trepidation, whether he’d admit it or not, and he expressed concerns that one day there’d be a knock on the door and his time would be for leaving the club.
“I tried to give him advice, and I did tell him to speak to the police, but he told me members of Strike Force Raptor had told him there’d be no help if he exited.”
Martin’s defence lawyer told the court she was confident he had turned a corner.
“He’s not before the court for an offence for being involved in a gang, and I submit that his rehabilitation prospects are good.
“He has a connection to his faith, and he’s explained the difference that has made to his behaviour. The gang is completely contradictory to what his faith tells him to practice.”