Finks vs Mongols: Why bikie war could erupt on Melbourne streets
Prison phone intercepts overheard a bikie saying a police witness was going to “cop it” for being a “statement-writing dog”. This is how the Finks terrorise those standing up to them.
Police & Courts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Police & Courts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Police have outlined a series of terrifying examples of the Finks turning on witnesses in a bid to convince a court not to free a senior member of the gang, fearing the prosecution’s key witness could be targeted
Sione Hokafonu, 27, a senior member of the Finks, who was described by police as a “dangerous individual”, was freed on bail this week — 18 months after being charged with the attempted murder of Mongol Rocco Curra.
Of particular police concern is that a key prosecution witness, Ali Hussein, could be targeted.
Detective Senior Constable Stacey Keenan told Melbourne Magistrates Court it was “extremely rare” for a bikie to provide information to police as it goes against the code of all outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Those who do often face retribution, she said.
“As previous members, they are aware of the violence that can be undertaken against them, their associates or their family,” she said.
In one example, she said telephone prison intercepts in June last year overheard a Finks member on remand directing an associate that a witness for the prosecution in his case was going to “cop it” for being a “statement-writing dog”.
“The Finks OMCG member and the other party then discussed how the witness was going to cop it and how they would terrorise her after the court proceeding was completed as to do so beforehand would look bad,” Sen-Constable Keenan said.
Another example she gave included the Finks turning on one of their own, placing a gas bottle on his doorstep and turning it on, before throwing a molotov cocktail, after he reported to police an assault by another Fink on him at their Ringwood clubhouse in April 2015.
The victim sustained a series of injuries including a fractured eye socket.
His alleged attacker was arrested but not charged because of insufficient evidence.
Sen-Constable Keenan said the victim was quickly evicted from the Finks, and his daughter received a Facebook message from another Fink, telling her dad to “watch out”.
A copy of her dad’s police statement was also attached to the message.
In July, eight hours after a personal safety intervention order was served on the Fink accused of beating the father, prohibiting him from going near the victim, the gas bottle and molotov cocktail incident occurred. The father’s vehicle was also set alight.
Nobody was charged.
Sen-Constable Keenan said in March last year, another Fink they suspected of being involved in an aggravated home invasion with a firearm tried to intimidate his victim soon after police executed a search warrant at his house.
“The Finks OMCG member who was the target of the search was not home and was called by his partner who told him the police were looking for him,” she said.
“The Finks member said that he knew what it was about and immediately tried to contact the victim via mobile phone.
“After he was later arrested and remanded, members of his family attempted to contact the victim via social media.”
On August 16, 2016, she said a Fink, who was a Crown witness in an attempted kidnapping case, was asleep in his residential home when two Finks bikies forced their way into his home and assaulted him with knuckledusters.
Another example of the Finks allegedly intimidating witnesses came in September 2016 when Sen-Constable Keenan said a Fink called a former bikie member-turned police witness to say he had been told to bash him.
The Fink later attended the house of the witness, where he stood outside in an intimidatory manner and yelled that the man should “look out for himself”.
She said the history of the Finks gave her concerns for Mr Hussein and his family.
“Information received through the prison system is people are sort of in the process of, or they are aware of the statement, and are considering retribution,” she said.
WHY BIKIE WAR COULD ERUPT ON MELBOURNE STREETS
Police fear a new bikie war will erupt on the streets of Melbourne after a world-ranking Fink, who is involved in an escalating feud with the Mongols, was released into the community.
Victoria Police’s bikie-busting Echo Taskforce strongly opposed Mr Hokafonu’s bail application in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, saying they had intelligence tensions were rising and on the verge of bloodshed.
Echo detective Sen-Constable Keenan told the court there had been an ongoing dispute between the Finks and Mongols since 2013 when there was a patch over of some members.
She said there was “current well-publicised hostility” between the two bikie gangs, particularly following the arrest this month of Mongols members over the October shooting in Queensland of former Victorian bikie Shane Bowden, who defected from the Mongols to the Finks.
“We’ve got intelligence recordings that the tensions will be filtering down here,” Sen-Constable Keenan said.
“A large portion of the hierarchy of both clubs reside in Victoria.”
Sen-Constable Keenan said she also had concerns for the public “that they could potentially be hit in the crossfire” of any clash between the bikie gangs.
She said Mr Hokafonu joined feared Finks president Koshan Rashidi, also known as Kosh Radford, in being the only two known world-ranking members of the outlaw motorcycle gang.
The court heard the gang also had a global presence, including in the US, and Mr Hokafonu had helped set up a Finks chapter in New Zealand.
Sen-Constable Keenan said the Finks had a history of seeking retribution and interfering with witnesses, leaving them with fears Mr Hokafonu would do the same — or at least get someone to do so on his behalf — if released.
Of particular concern, she said, was that a key prosecution witness, Ali Hussein, could be targeted.
The court heard Mr Hussein was a patched Finks member who was originally charged alongside Mr Hokafonu as being the second shooter who ambushed Mr Curra while he sat in his car in Bulleen on August 1, 2019.
But he has since made a statement to police, against Finks code, pointing the finger at Poiva Sita, who is now charged with attempted murder.
Mr Hussein, 24, from Mickleham, gave evidence in court earlier this month detailing how he was the driver of a getaway vehicle parked around the corner from the shooting instead.
“The Finks have a history of intimidation and seeking retribution against those who provide evidence and information to law enforcement,” Sen-Constable Keenan said.
“It’s extremely rare for an outlaw motorcycle gang member to co-operate with police, as it’s against their code.”
She said prison intelligence had uncovered talks about retribution against Mr Hussein by Finks members who now consider him a snitch.
Prosecutor Justin Lewis said Mr Hokafonu’s alleged crimes “indicates a brutal and callous attitude that should cause the court deep concern in relation to the safety of others if the accused is released on bail”.
“The prosecution says, put simply, he is a dangerous individual with little to no concern for the welfare of his fellow citizens, let alone Mr Hussein,” Mr Lewis said.
“Furthermore … the shooting was motivated by a desire for revenge in relation to the wounding of the accused himself.
“The intended victim was selected not because he had any real connection with the wounding incident but simply because he was believed to be a patched member of the same gang as the individual who was thought to be responsible.”
But magistrate Tara Hartnett granted bail, citing a change in the prosecution case now Mr Hussein had made a statement meant the matter would be delayed in court.
She said there was no evidence Mr Hokafonu had ever breached bail in the past or interfered with witnesses.
Ms Hartnett said stringent conditions, including a 9pm to 6am curfew, and a non-association with any bikie gang clause, could ameliorate any risks.
It was Mr Hokafonu’s fourth time applying for bail — with it being denied the first three times due to him being deemed an unacceptable risk — since his arrest in January last year.
The Clyde North father is accused of being one of two gunmen captured on CCTV jumping from a vehicle with 9mm handguns and firing 12 shots at Mr Curra, four of which struck him in the head and torso.
Mr Curra miraculously survived the shooting, with his good mate, Mongols boss Toby Mitchell understood to have kept a bedside vigil at hospital while he recovered.
The court heard he was lured to the street under a honey trap plot, believing he was picking up a woman for a date after Athar Almatrah, Mr Hussein’s former girlfriend, set up a fake Instagram account of the supposed love interest.
The shooting was allegedly revenge after Mr Hokafonu had been shot in the foot by another Mongol in a melee at a Fountain Gate pub three weeks earlier.
Mr Hokafonu, Mr Sita, Ms Almatrah and three others — Ugur Okanlar, Joseph Opapo and Tavita Sua — are all charged over the shooting.
They are all on bail and will return to court in December when Ms Hartnett will determine if there is sufficient evidence to commit them to stand trial in the Supreme Court.
TIMELINE OF ALLEGED EVENTS
July 10, 2019
Sione Hokafonu was allegedly shot in his right foot following a physical altercation with a Mongols bikie at the Fountain Gate Hotel, where punters were watching the State of Origin rugby league decider between Queensland and New South Wales.
July 11, 2019
Mr Hokafonu’s partner is said to have hired a BMW from a car rental business with no return date recorded. It is this car that is allegedly used as a getaway vehicle on the night of the shooting.
July 30, 2019
Police intercept Mr Hokafonu driving the BMW.
August 1, 2019
Mongols member Rocco Curra was lured to a Bulleen address under the guise he was picking up a woman for a date, but was instead ambushed about 10pm by two men, who jumped out of a car with 9mm handguns who fired 12 shots through the windscreen and driver’s side window of his car. The vehicle was later found torched in a street in nearby Templestowe.
August 9, 2019
Police again intercept Mr Hokafonu driving the BMW suspected of being used as the getaway car on the night of the shooting.
December 24, 2019
Police execute a search warrant on Mr Hokafonu’s Cranbourne home and allege they found an unregistered pistol in his wardrobe. He was slapped with a firearms prohibition order and charged with possession of an unregistered firearm. Testing would later uncover the gun is allegedly a match to one of the pistol’s used in the shooting of Mr Curra.
December 28, 2020
Police were closing in on Mr Hokafonu and contacted his partner about the circumstances of her hiring the BMW.
January 3, 2020
Mr Hokafonu is arrested during another search of his home. He provided a “no comment” record of interview with detectives. He was charged with dozens of offences, including the attempted murder of Mr Curra. Other charges included arson, dealing with property suspected of being proceeds of crime, and possession of guns and drugs offences.
April 15, 2020
Mr Hokafonu made his first application for bail at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, which was refused in a ruling five days later on April 20.
June 26, 2020
Mr Curra is called to give evidence at a compulsory examination hearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court where he reveals he “didn’t remember much” of the shooting.
He recalled gunfire and rushing to a nearby house for help and then being in hospital. The court heard he had emergency surgery to remove a bullet from his brain and have his skull reconstructed. He now has to take anti-seizure medication.
August 21, 2020
Supreme Court judge Paul Coghlan rejected a second attempt at bail by Mr Hokafonu, stating he was an unacceptable risk of reoffending if released. Justice Coghlan said the alleged offending was serious and “might easily have been a murder”. “The alleged offending involved a planned and callous shooting in a residential street, demonstrating no regard for the complainant’s life or the safety of the general public,” the experienced judge said.
2 March 2021
Mr Hokafonu lodged another bail application with the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, but it was also rejected.
July 5-6, 2021
A committal hearing began in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, where defence lawyers were to test the prosecution evidence. Ali Hussein, who police originally alleged to be one of the shooters, gave evidence. The hearing was booking in for a week, but was adjourned to December on the second day.
July 20, 2021
Magistrate Tara Hartnett grants Mr Hokafonu bail with conditions, including that he not associate with any bikie gang, reside at his Cranbourne East address, not leave Victoria, abide by a 9pm to 6am curfew, and only leave the house outside of curfew hours unless in the company of his partner, for work, or for a legal appointment.
December 13, 2021
The committal hearing continues, with Mr Hussein to return to the witness box to give more evidence, before magistrate Tara Hartnett will determine if there is sufficient evidence for Mr Hokafonu and the other accused to stand trial in the Supreme Court.
Teen thugs use social media to ‘thumb nose’ at weak laws
Young offenders are using social media to ‘post and boast’ about being pursued by police as crime sprees explode across Victoria, but politicians say there’s no need for tough new laws.
Read more
Tradie allegedly leaves customers with non-compliant buildings
The building watchdog has suspended the registration of a Melbourne tradie who allegedly failed to implement fire safety measures into designs, posing a public safety risk.
Read more