A man allegedly linked with the Apex gang faces court over robberies

A MAN allegedly linked to the ruthless Apex gang that is causing problems in Melbourne faced court over a robbery spree.

Members of the so-called gang were thought to be present at a brawl which eruopted in Federation Square during the Moomba festivities. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

A TEENAGE engineering student allegedly linked to Melbourne’s notorious Apex gang is behind bars over a suspected robbery spree.

Police say Kual Ashweel, 18, was one of four youths who drove around in a stolen car at night, demanding phones and cash from people who were sometimes attacked with a baton.

The alleged crimes — five within two hours on April 10 — took place in Southbank and Richmond.

It’s thought the group asked one victim for help, before telling him: “Brother, stop. Give me your phone and money otherwise I’ll kill you.”

The man was chased back to his car, hit with a baton and grabbed by the throat before handing over his phone, wallet and banking passwords, court documents show.

Ashweel applied for bail in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday after being charged with 63 offences, including armed robbery, affray and assault.

The court heard Ashweel denied he was a member of Apex, but Senior Constable Anthony Gaffney said two co-accused were associated with the gang and he was concerned about the link. Defence lawyer Rob Melasecca said there was no allegation Ashweel was involved in violence during the suspected spree, and he was only accused of driving.

But Magistrate Franz Holzer denied bail, saying the charges were serious and the alleged victims had been subjected to “frightening and significant consequences”.

Apex, which has more than 100 members including some as young as 12, is thought to be behind a spate of home burglaries and car thefts.

The notorious gang has been blamed for violent attacks across Melbourne, far from where the gang was formed in Apex Street in Dandenong North.

Ringleaders have been arrested however its thought the gang has become stronger recently. On Monday this week a man was allegedly targeted with a baseball bat and had his luxury Mercedes stolen.

The 29-year-old pulled over at 2am to write a text message when he was set upon and he has since told of the horror in a Facebook post.

The victim of an assault posted his ordeal on Facebook.

The gang is thought to be made up of mostly young African men from Melbourne’s outer suburbs. They have been accused of stealing luxury cars for sport before driving, dumping and burning them.

On Sunday, five Apex gang members were also arrested over aggravated burglaries, assault and car theft after two break-ins on Saturday morning.

The thugs who went on a rampage were out on bail, according to the Herald Sun, after being arrested over similar crimes.

Detectives from Taskforce Tense, which was set up to deal with Apex thugs, said the men broke into homes in Ormond and Brighton East and assaulted the residents, leaving them with bruises and cuts.

The Herald Sun reports Apex gang members often carry weapons and guns and some were armed with hammers

It’s also believed the members robbed six Chinese students while they were asleep. They have been accused of preying on Chinese nationals and concerns for their safety have been mounting.

AAP reports Victorian Police met with Chinese consulate and University officials to increase campus patrols at the University of Melbourne.

A police spokeswoman said several arrests have been made over a number of late-night thefts near the university during the past few months.