Grave fears for bikie associate missing after Hells Angels dispute
Homicide investigators believe internal conflict may have played a part in the suspected death of a Hells Angels bikie gang associate.Kerry Giakoumis is feared dead after disappearing shortly after visiting the gang’s Thomastown clubhouse.
Police & Courts
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Homicide detectives believe a bikie associate who disappeared after a dispute at a Hells Angels clubhouse is dead, with investigators believing the death is linked to internal gang conflict.
Adelaide man Kerry Giakoumis, 29, travelled to Melbourne on June 5 with two members of the Hells Angels OMCG.
Investigators say he was due to return to Adelaide on June 10 and has not been heard from since.
Giakoumis went to the Hells Angels clubhouse on Lipton Dr, Thomastown with other bikies in the early hours of June 10.
Investigators believe Giakoumis is dead and that his killing may be linked to internal gang conflict.
“We believe there is some internal conflict at play,” Senior Sergeant Poulton said.
“The circumstances are concerning in so far as he is associating with members of the Hells Angels, he goes to the clubhouse and shortly thereafter he disappears.
“We have grave concerns that this is a suspicious diseappeance and we are of the opinion it will likely be a murder investigation and believe there will be people in the circle of association who are friendly with Kerry and might not necessarily agree with the actions that have played out.”
Giakoumis, a concreter, has long-term associations with the Hells Angels and is known to police.
Detectives hope a forensic search of the Thomastown clubhouse will help them solve the case.
Giakoumis went to the clubhouse on June 10 after attending an associate’s apartment in Richmond, which is also being forensically examined.
Police believe he came to Melbourne willingly and that it is possible his disappearance was pre-meditated.
“There are a number of possibilities. It is likely we are dealing with an internal conflict or some other conflict that we are unaware of at this stage and that’s why we want to hear from people who can provide answers to Kerry’s family,” said Senior Sergeant Poulton.
Police will examine relationships between the Victorian and South Australian chapters of the Hells Angels as part of the inquiry.
Senior Sergeant Poulton said a dispute is thought to have taken place at the clubhouse and that police have deep fears for Mr Giakoumis’ welfare.
“Kerry’s disappearance is very much out of character,” he said.
“We know he was at the Hells Angels clubhouse in the early hours of 10 June, however what we don’t know is what has happened to Kerry and why.
“It’s our understanding that Kerry wasn’t a patched member and just an associate of the club at the time of his disappearance.
“Investigators believe some kind of dispute has taken place and that may be connected to other members or associates of the Hells Angels OMCG.
“We’re appealing for someone who was either there on the night or has knowledge of what happened on the night, to come forward and contact police and this can also be done anonymously.”
The clubhouse and two homes in Richmond and Melbourne were raided by Homicide Squad, Echo Taskforce and Yarra Crime Investigation Unit this morning.
Police have released a photo of Giakoumis in the hope someone recognises him and can provide information about his movements during his time in Melbourne, particularly on and after 10 June.
They have also released an image of him at a convenience store in South Australia that was captured on the day he left the state.
He was wearing a distinctive Chicago Bulls sweatshirt, which he was known to wear whilst in Melbourne.
The man told his family he had come to Melbourne to work as a concreter.
He kept in regular contact with his family in South Australia and his mother had booked for his return flight to Adelaide.
There has been no activity on his bank account or phone after June 10.
Senior Sergeant Poulton said his family were in great distress.
“Kerry’s family are desperate for answers and we’re hoping that someone will do the right thing and provide those,” he said.
“There will be someone within the Hells Angels OMCG that knows and disagrees with what happened to Kerry, and there is now an opportunity for that person to contact us directly or anonymously.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
COLOURFUL HISTORY OF THE HELLS ANGELS CLUBHOUSE
The Lipton Drive stronghold has long been the focus of intense police interest.
It was raided in the aftermath of the 1999 murder of Vicki Jacobs in Bendigo.
Ms Jacobs had given evidence against her Hells Angels associate ex-partner Gerard Preston, who is doing time in an Adelaide prison for the contract killing of two men.
It is believed a party was being held at Thomastown on the night a gunman walked into Ms Jacobs’ Bendigo home and executed her as she slept with her young son.
In 2009, violent crime figure Ali Chaouk savagely assaulted and tortured a German tourist at Lipton Drive.
The man had met Chaouk at the Dallas Showgirls strip club earlier in the evening before being invited back to Thomastown.
After being unable to recognise pictures of German Hells Angels members, he was bashed with a baseball bat by Chaouk and another man.
Chaouk shoved a pole in his mouth, damaging his teeth, then kicking him in the groin and chest.
In 2013, Lipton Drive was the first bikie headquarters to be the subject of de-fortification orders.
Echo Taskforce members placed a notice on it demanding steel gates, a high fence, a reinforced door and night-vision CCTV cameras be removed.
The Nomads chapter is regarded as an enforcement arm of the notorious crime outfit.
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