Bikie boss Mick Murray wants Asian trip before court hearing
Bikie boss Mick Murray is desperate to escape Melbourne’s arctic winter and soak in some sun in Thailand and Dubai. The only problem is the former Comancheros president is on bail and police fear he will never return to face charges.
Law & Order
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Bailed bikie boss Mick Murray wants to trade his winter woollies for some sunshine in Thailand and Dubai, despite fierce opposition from detectives who fear he’ll never return.
The president of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang pleaded with a magistrate to allow him to enjoy a two-week holiday abroad ahead of his scheduled court appearance next month on a suite of deception charges.
Murray, 41, was arrested and charged with more than 100 offences in December last year as part of major raids by Echo taskforce detectives on businesses across Melbourne.
Most of the charges relate to allegedly fraudulently obtaining a rental Jeep and unpaid tolls and traffic fines.
He was bailed by police, under the condition he surrender his passport and not enter any points of international departure.
But now the burly bikie wants to take a load off his mind and sunbathe ahead of the contested hearing.
Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday that Murray had already paid for flights to Phuket, and was scheduled to leave with a mate tomorrow. He is set to return a couple of weeks before he fronts court again.
The court heard Murray was prepared to offer a $1 million surety by way of his friend and sometime business partner Graham Ritchie.
But Detective Luke Dalli told magistrate Susan Wakeling the surety did little to minimise the risk of Murray not returning.
“It would increase my concerns that he has access to large amounts of money at short notice,” he said.
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Mr Dalli said Murray’s history made him an unacceptable flight risk. Murray was also facing a tax debt of more than $1 million, further increasing his motivation to flee, he told the court.
Mark Gumbleton, for Murray, argued that the father of one had strong family and business ties to Victoria, and the countries he was travelling to had no connections to the Comancheros.
Magistrate Susan Wakeling will rule on Wednesday afternoon.