Deadline: Many Melbourne crims sleeping with the lights on since Gavin Preston’s prison release

Gavin “Capable” Preston might’ve been severely injured in a stabbing attack in Barwon Prison, but there are some individuals sleeping with the lights on since his recent release.

Gavin Preston (second from left) lounging with his equally formidable-looking crew.

Mark Buttler and Andrew Rule with the latest crime buzz.

Still capable but not a Como

Gavin Preston has the well-earned nickname of “Capable”.

The moniker was bestowed because ever since he left school out Sunshine way to make his way in the underworld, Preston has become notorious for being capable of almost anything.

For anyone unaware of this, the gangland strongman has provided a clear reminder that he has come a long way.

Since his latest prison release earlier this year, he has had the word “Capable” tattooed on his neck.

A social media pic of Preston catching up with an equally formidable-looking crew clearly shows the new ink. Call it product branding.

The bloody aftermath of an attack on Preston at Barwon Prison. Picture: YouTube

There was some talk years ago, and again more recently, that Preston had joined the Comanchero bikie gang.

Deadline has been assured this is not the case and we’re not arguing, given the Facebook tongue-lashing he handed one of our colleagues in 2017 for suggesting he’d signed up with Mick Murray and his crew.

Of course, hypothetically speaking, he would be quite a recruit for the Comancheros or any similar outfit.

Preston has a reputation as one of the Melbourne underworld’s hardest men, having spent much of his adult life in prison for violent crime.

His most recent stretch was 11 years for the 2012 shooting of drug dealer Adam Khoury at his North Melbourne apartment.

At the time, he was a suspect in the near-fatal shooting of Bandidos bikie strongman Toby Mitchell in Brunswick.

Deadline has been told that, despite Preston being severely injured in a stabbing attack in jail, some individuals have been sleeping with the lights on since his release.

Yet another case of watch this space.

Gavin Preston (left) with another inmate in Barwon Prison.

Jimmy Buffett and the burglar’s son

The death of music legend Jimmy Buffett brings back memories for former rock band roadie (and Group 1 racehorse strapper) Mick Lillie, a Deadline source who’s happy to admit being the son of a notorious Melbourne cat burglar, also called Jimmy. As in Jimmy Lillie: scallywag thief, conman and massive punter. But that Jimmy is another story.

When news of Buffet’s final exit came through at the weekend, Mick got in touch to remind us about his brush with one of the music business’s nicest guys. It goes like this:

“I was a roadie for Little River Band touring America in the summer of 1976. We were in West Texas supporting Supertramp. Our last gig in Texas was in Houston supporting Jimmy Buffett (definitely one of the most laid-back performers I’ve ever seen). It was the first of a 5 concert tour supporting Jimmy and the next concert was in Miami, Florida. It was quite a large entourage and Glenn Wheatley (LRB’S manager) was acting as tour manager, booking flights etc.

“On the morning of our flight to Miami, Wheatley announced that two of us would have to wait two hours for the next flight as there was not enough seating on the first plane. Me being at the bottom of the totem pole, I was singled out by Wheatley to catch the next flight and he called for a volunteer to join me. Jimmy Buffett stepped forward and said ‘I’m going with Mick.’ So while the rest of our entourage traipsed off to the departure lounge, Jimmy and I went to a very nice restaurant and had Texas T-bone steaks and drank beer til our flight time.

“Throughout the tour of Florida (Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville) Jimmy would seek me out at the sound check and we would down a Heineken or two. He was a humble person who felt more at home in the company of the roadies and labourers.”

Once were warriors at O.K. Corral

Our Kiwi cousins are downright snarky about Australian authorities deporting New Zealand-born crooks back to the land of their birth to cross-pollinate with homegrown bikies, speed dealers, standover men and the like.

To hear them moaning, you’d think there wasn’t already a massive crime problem across the North Island. But a recent Deadline fact-finding mission suggests that, in fact, Auckland is a sawn-off Sydney with an ugly dash of Los Angeles gang culture.

Within 10 minutes of leaving the airport, Deadline spotted dozens of police cars and what looked like hundreds of armed and uniformed police massed in South Auckland streets. It turns out that this was because they feared an armed clash between warring bikie mobs at the funeral of one Charles Pongi.

Pongi, 32, died two weeks earlier in the way too many of his contemporaries have and continue to do. He’d been badly wounded in a shootout between the Head Hunters and Rebel on August 5, when at least 20 shots were fired during a head-to-head confrontation at a city reserve, an example of the brazen gang warfare that’s a feature of New Zealand’s allegedly peaceful and harmonious society.

The shootings have been going on for decades and they are getting worse, as gangs like the ones named above, and the Mongrel Mob, the Crips and others join in. Also involved are a new breed of dirt bike riders, notably one gang calling itself the Killer Beez, who specialise in dangerous stunts in the streets when they’re not dealing drugs or taking them.

Truth is, the endless gang wars on the far side of the Tasman are every bit as deadly and as public as the current Sydney slaughter, not to mention the savagery that has flared up in Melbourne over the years.

The Land of the Long White Cloud is more like the land of the long neck tattoo.

Like father like son

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, which was proved again last week by a drink-driving “bloody idiots” out west.

A 49-year-old dad from Truganina was first to prove himself a bloody idiot last Thursday night, blundering into a breath-testing site on Dunnings Rd at Point Cook.

He blew .109 and immediately lost his licence, had his car impounded and will be charged on summons.

At almost the same time his P-plater son, aged 22, and also from Truganina, was out having a drive.

He saw trouble ahead and tried to evade the booze bus but was quickly intercepted.

Junior blew .028 and was handed a $481 fine and licence cancellation.

The Bounce boys Cameron Mooney, Andrew Gaze and Ben Dixon at Victoria's police academy. Picture: Supplied

Roar recruits

Police are taught to be alert so it’s no surprise that recruit heads swivelled when four sporting champions marched across the athletics track at the Victoria Police academy at Glen Waverley the other day.

Basketball legend Andrew Gaze, Geelong great Cameron Mooney and former Hawthorn player Ben Dixon appeared alongside “the Chief” himself, fast food lover and former full forward Jason Dunstall.

They got a rock star welcome for the Fox Footy stars, co-hosts of the popular program Bounce. There were high fives, cheers of support and even a few selfies before the visitors faced off in a series of challenges designed to show what it takes to be a police officer.

Senior academy instructor Sen.

Sgt David Stocks led scenarios that included having the ring-ins practise drawing imitation pistols, foam batons and simulation sprays. Then they headed over an obstacle course complete with a “dummy drag.”

The challenge culminates on this Saturday’s program with a paintballing showdown and march-off complete with pipe band before it’s revealed who is dux and who is headed for back squad.

“Their skills might have been a little rusty and their bodies a little sore but we see a lot of potential,” Sen. Sgt Stocks said.

“And I think a few people might be surprised to find out just who makes it to the top of the class.”

Victoria Police’s recruitment drive is kicking goals of its own. In August, the force notched up its highest ever number of monthly applications.

For anyone who’s wondering, there’s no age limit for applicants.

Kids court legal advice

An interesting exchange in Ringwood Magistrates’ Court last week when some students got free advice on the justice system from both sides of the fence.

The magistrate halted proceedings briefly to take questions from pupils gathered to see how a court works.

One of the students asked when was a good time to start planning for a life of legal work and the magistrate settled on Year 10 as the time to get moving.

“Even earlier,” came a voice from a man in the dock. One who presumably regrets not following his own career advice.