Crimes committed by Tony Mokbel’s nephew labelled as ‘vanilla’
He might be the nephew of a notorious drug kingpin, but Anthony Mokbel’s crimes have been labelled as vanilla, with the 24-year-old’s lawyer saying it was his surname drawing attention.
Police & Courts
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The crimes of drug lord Tony Mokbel’s nephew have been labelled “vanilla” as he faces a contempt charge for refusing to answer questions under compulsory examination about the Kensington boxing match shooting.
Anthony Mokbel, 24, was hauled before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court to give evidence after allegedly refusing to co-operate with the police investigation.
But when he entered the witness box at the February 5 examinations, Mokbel was only prepared to take the oath, and sat in silence when the prosecutor put questions to him.
He would not even confirm his name.
His barrister, Lee Ristivojevic, rose to her feet saying her client would “remain mute” after each question.
Magistrate Kieran Gilligan warned Mokbel if he refused to answer questions, he could be charged with contempt.
“Do you still persist in not answering questions?” Mr Gilligan asked.
“Yes, he does,” Ms Ristivojevic said.
“Well, that being the case I propose Mokbel will be charged with contempt of court,” Mr Gilligan said.
Mokbel laughed and smiled as he was led to the cells by custody officers, only to return before the magistrate and be released on bail an hour later.
The Herald Sun can only reveal the details from the February 5 examinations after a suppression order was lifted.
The next day Mokbel faced the County Court where he successfully appealed an eight-month jail term for gun and driving offences, and was re-sentenced to an 18-month community correction order, with 250 hours of unpaid work.
Mokbel — the son of Tony Mokbel’s brother Horty — was caught driving four times while suspended last August and September. Police also found a loaded and unregistered .32-calibre revolver and a small amount of cannabis at his suburban Melbourne home.
In 2014, he walked from a Queensland court on a good behaviour bond after he told a flight attendant to “f--- off” when asked to turn his phone off.
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Ms Ristivojevic remarked in court last week that the only reason the media was interested was because of his surname, describing his crimes as “so vanilla” compared to other cases before the court daily. She indicated Mokbel would plead guilty to the contempt charge on February 21.
Mokbel was at the March 1 boxing event where four men are accused of killing Craigieburn father Ben Togiai, 30, and wounding two other men.