John Phillip O’Meara granted bail despite allegations illegal firearms and methamphetamine found at his Briar Hill home
A Hells Angels associate allegedly found with illegal guns, including a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun, and large amounts of cannabis, ecstasy and ice at his Briar Hill home has been granted bail despite fears he is a flight risk and could reoffend.
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A Briar Hill man accused of illegally owning a double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun and trafficking the drug ice has been released on bail despite police fears he may be a flight risk.
Magistrate Jennifer Tregent granted John Phillip O’Meara, 34, bail at the Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court on November 26, despite expressing fears about the drugs and stolen firearms found at his home.
O’Meara was found at a Templestowe property belonging to his employer, who the court heard was a Hells Angels bikie member, when he was arrested by police on October 22.
He fronted court yesterday seeking bail, and the court heard he was initially charged with selling stolen copper to a Bundoora metal recycler in September.
When he refused to attend a police station for an interview about the copper, police stormed his Briar Hill unit on October 16 in an effort to find him, but instead say they found six stolen guns, the double-barrelled sawn-off shotgun, ammunition, suspected stolen tools, cannabis and ecstasy.
Three ziplock bags of a white crystal substance thought to be methamphetamine were also found floating in a bathtub in what police believed was an attempt by O’Meara’s housemates to destroy evidence when they arrived, Banyule detective Senior Constable Michael Maclachlan told the court.
O’Meara was tracked down days later at his employer’s address, and Sen-Constable Maclachlan said police believed his employer may have been trying to help him evade arrest.
Sen-Constable Maclachlan said the housemates were thought to be responsible for the stolen guns, but he said CCTV footage suggested the sawn-off shot gun was suspected to belong to O’Meara, who was prohibited from owning a firearm.
He argued there was “no doubt” O’Meara would reoffend if granted bail.
“We’ve got people coming to the address with stolen firearms, we’ve got quantities of methamphetamine … (and) we believe him to be a flight risk,” he said.
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But O’Meara’s defence argued the methamphetamine belonged to her client’s housemates, not him, and she said there was no evidence the copper he sold to the metal recycler in September was stolen.
Ms Tregent said she was unconvinced O’Meara didn’t know about the drugs and firearms at his home, but she granted bail and noted the police evidence was shaky.
“The fact is your client is a person who is associating with high level criminals,” she said.
“The house is washed in drugs, so everybody else is using and dealing drugs except for him? I don’t believe that.”
O’Meara, who was already on bail at the time of the alleged offending, was released again on bail under strict conditions he not associate with his former housemates, that he not use drugs, and that he report regularly to police.