Deadline: ‘Runaway groom’ Murat Shomshe caught out lying in court again

He once convinced a judge to release him from jail so he could get married — then did a runner. And now he’s been caught out telling another porky pie.

Mark Buttler with his weekly dose of scallywag scuttlebutt.

Fibbing Fink found out, again

Finks bikie Murat Shomshe’s lying was exposed in court last week but it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d been economical with the truth.

Our colleague Imran Ali reported how Shomshe had given the facts a wide berth as he fought charges related to tobacco war arsons.

The OMCG member told a court that, as a child, he had seen his twin brother shot and killed by paramilitary police while living in Kosovo

This had triggered a descent into post-traumatic stress disorder and drug use, resulting in his latest offending.

Readers with long memories will recall how Shomshe made headlines a decade ago as the so-called “Runaway Groom”.

In 2015, he successfully argued in court that he needed to be bailed to attend his own wedding.

County Court judge Richard Maidment took pity on him and gave him a two-day release from Barwon Prison to attend his weekend traditional Muslim wedding.

Murat Shomshe has developed a reputation for being fast and loose with the truth.

Belinda Dulevski said Shomshe fled while she was in the shower. Picture: Ellen Smith

But he did a runner as his new wife was in the shower and was arrested a week later in Campbellfield, later facing the County Court on charges of reckless conduct endangering life, retaining stolen goods, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of cartridge ammunition without a licence.

Then in 2000, Shomshe was busted doing over 230km/h in a $300,000 Porsche in Hoppers Crossing.

He said the sports car, which had been stolen from Templestowe, was only with him through his job as a mechanic

Shomshe later pleaded guilty to conduct endangering persons and drug possession.

The upshot of his latest bout of bulldust over the tobacco fires is that it was absolutely no help.

Shomshe, 43, has pleaded guilty to charge of perverting the course of justice, on top of earlier admitting to smoke shop arsons at Moe and Croydon in late-2023.

He claimed to have spent five years overseas when his brother was “shot” but police found he had only ever left Australia for two weeks.

The story was completely torpedoed when more checking established he had no twin sibling.

The truth might not have set him free but the alternative definitely made it worse for Shomshe.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

As you wish!

A prolific Melbourne drug dealer had a special message created for police in case they ever visited his house.

He had a custom-made doormat to greet them emblazoned with the words “come back with a warrant”.

When investigators came knocking last week, they didn’t need to leave and see a magistrate to get permission for a look inside.

They were already armed with a warrant and let themselves in.

The dealer is looking at a stretch in prison for his activities.

Rowley on the way back

Former homicide squad detective Rowland Legg is on the mend after a tough trot.

Mr Legg had faced some health challenges in recent months but is making some significant progress.

Deadline can report that he has, importantly, maintained full mobility in his arm, enabling the consumption of red wine.

Veteran Melbourne homicide detective Rowland Legg was lead homicide investigator in some of the city’s most high profile crimes, including of the murder of Jason Moran at a suburban kids football game. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

DIY ambo rides in Ballarat

Either ambulance response times are abysmal at Ballarat or the city’s shooting victims don’t necessarily want the law notified.

Twice in the space of nine recent days, folk who had been on the wrong end of a gun have presented themselves to hospital.

The armed crime squad is investigating after an injured victim made his own way to the Ballarat Base Hospital at 12.30am on Thursday with an injury described as not life threatening.

Police say they have been unable to work out the circumstances of the shooting and the victim, we understand, hasn’t been a huge help to detectives.

That shooting came a day after ACS investigators had been in Ballarat to charge two men over another non-fatal shooting.

The 42-year-old victim, with a hole in his leg, also got himself to the base rather than trouble overworked paramedics just over a week earlier.

The VIPER taskforce and Ballarat CIU officers carried out two warrants in the Ballarat suburb of Winter Valley over that attack.

The special operations group arrested a 30-year-old Winter Valley man as he tried to run from one of the homes.

Investigators later seized a loaded .22 calibre rifle, ammunition and a small quantity of what is suspected of being methylamphetamine.

He has been charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, possession of cartridge ammunition, possession of and possession of ecstasy.

A 49-year-old man from Winter Valley was charged with having a gun and gun-related in breach of a firearms prohibition order, trafficking, possession of and possession of cannabis.

Detectives allegedly seized a loaded .22 calibre rifle hidden in a wall cavity.

Omen bet

Erin Patterson will be hoping the winner of Tuesday’s last race at Ballarat is no omen, as Melbourne crime journalism great and enthusiastic punter Geoff Wilkinson pointed out to us.

Life Sentence might have been the friend of punters after saluting at $3.40 but Patterson won’t want to see it getting up in court in coming months.

The four-year-old gelding had interesting breeding.

The dad was Star Witness and mum was She Must Be Obeyed.