Bikie’s son walks free after B-double trailer heist

The truck-driving son of a notorious bikie has avoided jail after stealing trailers containing more than $200,000 of Jack Daniel’s and Cola cans.

The son of a notorious Hells Angels bikie has walked free from court after admitting his role in the theft of $200,000 of pre-mixed drinks from a trucking yard in Melbourne.

Beau Peter Hewat, 34, faced the Victorian County Court on Tuesday for sentencing after pleading guilty to three counts of theft and two counts of recklessly dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Hewat was arrested in July 2021 after police raided an alcohol distribution warehouse owned by Steven Buzzo and found 16 pallets of Jack Daniel’s and Cola cans, which were linked to 30 pallets stolen nine days earlier.

At the time he was working for a trucking company operated by his dad, Peter Hewat.

Peter Hewat is not accused of any wrongdoing.

The court heard Hewat and two associates took a prime-mover from a trucking yard in Somerton in the early hours of July 10, driving to a location in Laverton North, where they attached a double trailer containing the booze.

Returning to the Somerton yard, they used forklifts to remove 30 pallets of the pre-mix – worth about $206,000 – before dumping the trailers in Campbellfield.

He then sold 29 of the pallets for $157,000 to Buzzo, coming to an agreement to receive $15,000 weekly until the debt was paid.

Hells Angels enforcer Peter Hewat with his son, Beau Hewat. Picture: Facebook

The court heard Hewat came into possession of 22 pallets of Jack Daniel’s and Cola on April 26, 2020, which he sold to Buzzo for about $54,000.

On December 20 the same year, he picked up two B-double trailers containing 68 cages of Australia Post letters, which he later abandoned in Campbellfield.

A report, written by a psychiatrist for the court, found his offending was driven “primarily” by his methamphetamine use and problematic relationship with his father.

It noted he regretted his offending and that he had spent two years on bail working to kick the habit and improve himself.

Prosecutors argued Hewat, a dad of two, had recruited the associates for the offending which required a degree of planning.

He was sentenced to 40 days’ imprisonment, recognised as time-served by Judge Michael Cahill, and placed on a community corrections order for three years.

“Your offending involved three separate episodes over a period of nearly 15 months; it was commercial-scale,” he said.

“You targeted large loads of goods, two of which contained alcohol, which was sold for $211,000.”

Judge Cahill took into account Hewat’s father “not always being a positive influence” and his efforts to stay sober and not reoffend.

The court heard Steven Buzzo was fined $10,000 for two counts of negligently dealing with the proceeds of crime and purchasing the alcohol.

Originally published as Bikie’s son walks free after B-double trailer heist