Thug ex-bikie who bashed police horse at ‘Freedom’ protest faces justice

Dennis Basic plead guilty to charges including assaulting police officers and animal cruelty for his involvement in two ‘Freedom’ rallies in Melbourne.

A former bikie who threw a bollard at a cop and beat a horse with a flagpole during two separate anti-lockdown protests has pleaded guilty to a dozen charges.

Dennis Basic, 42, appeared at the County Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to charges including assaulting two police officers, recklessly causing injury and animal cruelty for his involvement in two ‘Freedom’ rallies in Melbourne’s CBD.

The former Hells Angel bikie got into a scuffle with a police officer and struck a horse multiple times in the head during an anti-lockdown protest on Princes Bridge in October 2020.

Body-worn footage was played to the court and showed Basic wearing a black balaclava, a ‘Free Palestine’ T-shirt and holding a flag with the word ‘Resist’ on it when he approaches a police barricade set-up to stop protesters making their way into the city.

He pushes a cop but is repelled backwards before another protester picks up the officer’s cap from the ground and throws it into the air.

Minutes later, Basic whacked a flagpole onto the face of a police horse before fleeing into the crowd.

Protester ex-bikie Dennis Basic.

Police identified Basic from his tattoos and a distinctive scar on his stomach and arrested him at his Narre Warren home the following month.

At his home, investigators uncovered a cache of weapons and explosives, including flick knifes, OC spray and illegal fireworks.

He was granted bail but the following year he attended another CBD rally where he threw an orange traffic bollard at mounted police.

Senior Constable Christine Brown was struck in the back of the head, neck and shoulder.

Her victim impact statement was read to the court, detailing the ongoing pain of her injuries which required nine osteopath sessions.

“It is important the accused understands how dangerous his actions were, if I’d fallen of my horse there would’ve been a real risk an unmounted horse would have run through the crowd,” she said.

Dennis Basic leaves court during the trial. Picture: Jeff Herbert

Basic’s defence barrister, Oliver Smith, said the protest was “emotionally charged" and his client’s offending was spontaneous and opportunistic.

But Judge Douglas Trapnell disagreed.

“It was an unprovoked attack on a police officer doing their duty, you can’t minimise it,” he said.

“Having been bailed, charged, he goes back and does it again, he picks up a bollard and throws it at a police woman on a police horse, causing injury which lasts two months.”

Judge Trapnell noted Basic had “nasty” prior convictions, including a five year jail stint for armed robbery.

Basic appeared via video link from Melbourne Remand Centre and remained silent during the hearing other than when asked for his plea and if he could hear the court.

He will return to court on June 21 for sentencing.