Inside Shane Bowden’s spectacular falling out with bikie mates

The Mongols hired a stretch limo to drive Shane Bowden from prison. But it didn’t take long for the loose cannon to fall out with his bikie mates.

Shane Bowden was shot up to 12 times as he pulled into his driveway. Picture: Facebook

Slain bikie Shane Bowden bashed a fellow Mongols OMCG member just days before being wounded in a drive-by shooting at Epping.

The Saturday Herald Sun has been told Bowden – who was fatally gunned down in October in a Gold Coast hit – fell badly out of favour with the gang within days of his release from prison.

The gang’s members, led by Toby Mitchell, had hired a stretch limousine to take him to Melbourne from Loddon Prison in central Victoria as bikies rode in convoy on the way back along the highway in June last year.

Shane Bowden outside court. Picture: Tertius Pickard

But the erratic Bowden is alleged to have then assaulted at least one member of the gang soon after that very public show of camaraderie.

It is unclear why the altercation – understood to be drug-fuelled – occurred but the 47-year-old was subsequently thrown out of the Mongols.

On July 1, 15 days after his release, Bowden was wounded in a shooting in the driveway of an Epping home.

Following that shooting Bowden patched over to the Finks but he was later expelled by that gang as well before he was murdered.

The 47-year-old died when he was shot up to 12 times as he pulled into the driveway of his Gold Coast home in the early hours of October 12.

Victoria Police have made no arrests over the initial Epping shooting, which is the subject of an Echo taskforce investigation.

Bowden left jail in a stretch limousine. Picture: Instagram

A bikie entourage accompanied Bowden’s limo down the highway. Picture: Instagram

In the aftermath of that shooting, a fearful and paranoid Bowden fled Victoria for Queensland but, as usual, there was drama.

He was detained at Brisbane Airport, initially suspected of having COVID-19, though this was later found to not be the case.

Bowden saddled-up with the rival Finks outfit but the Saturday Herald Sun has been told they also ejected him quickly before he was shot dead.

Bowden had in 2006 been a Fink when he was involved in the infamous Ballroom Blitz brawl at a Gold Coast kickboxing tournament.

He was jailed for shooting bikie Christopher Wayne Hudson, who was later responsible for a notorious Melbourne CBD gun rampage.

After serving time over that fracas, Bowden moved to Victoria and signed on with the Mongols.

He had served his most recent time behind bars over a violent home invasion at South Yarra.

Following his murder, Bowden’s ex-girlfriend said the bikie did not deserve to die.

“He didn’t deserve this, he didn’t deserve to die,” Trudi McPhee told the Herald Sun.

“It’s a coward’s way. He believed for months leading up to his death that people were following him. It is heartbreaking.”

Victoria Police declined to comment on its investigation into the Epping shooting of Bowden.

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