Court bans alleged Hells Angel from seeing ‘friends’ or visiting their clubhouse

An alleged member of a Darwin outlaw motorcycle club has been banned from seeing his ‘friends’ or visiting their clubhouse after being charged with drug and weapons offences.

Alleged Hells Angel Adrian Lyle Cook leaves the Darwin Local Court with his lawyer Shane McMaster on Monday.

AN ALLEGED member of a Darwin outlaw motorcycle club has been banned from seeing his “friends” or visiting their clubhouse after being charged with drug and weapons offences.

Adrian Lyle Cook, 57, faced the Darwin Local Court on Monday on a string of charges after allegedly failing a drug test during a traffic stop on Friday.

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Cook was bailed after his arrest and prosecutor Erin McAuley applied to have him banned from associating with “any patched members, prospect members or associates of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang” or come within 100m or their Darwin clubhouse.

Ms McAuley said ammunition allegedly seized during a raid on Cook’s home was found in “what the police have described as a holding room that was littered with Hells Angels paraphernalia, including the sergeant-at-arms motorcycle jacket”.

She said the circumstances of the seizure suggested Cook was “a somewhat trusted member” of the gang.

“There are concerns that if these restrictions are not imposed that he will still be able to affiliate with members of the Hells Angels,” she said.

“But also, more concerningly perhaps, is the fact that he was found in the possession of ammunition and other items that would assist the motorcycle group in other breaches of the law.”

In opposing the bail variation, Cook’s lawyer Shane McMaster said it was “not a crime to be associated with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club”.

“He is associated with that club and closely associated with various members, they are his friends, they are his social group,” he said.

“Because they are his social group a lot of his previous friendship or social group has dissipated (so) these are the people he knows and hangs around with, he fixes motorbikes, he goes on motorbikes with them.”

Mr McMaster said the offences his client had been charged with “have got nothing to do with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club”.

“There are various matters that we’ll be looking at in terms of forensics and weights and things like that but I can indicate that a lot of it is going to proceed by way of plea,” he said.

“The cannabis, your honour, conveniently comes in at one gram over the minimum 50g which would be a trafficable amount.”

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In granting the application, judge Greg Cavanagh said it was “certainly not a crime to be a part of a motorcycle club”.

“I have mates who are in such clubs, years ago I used to do legal work for the Hells Angels,” he said.

“Any restriction that is merely premised on being an associate, being friendly with or hanging around with Hells Angels members would not be a just thing to do and I wouldn’t do it merely for that reason.

“But I am going to make the conditions sought because I think it’s a very serious indication of the likelihood of further offences when someone has a safe room containing material — the gun pieces, the ammunition and all that’s contained in the schedule within that room — together with bits and pieces of Hells Angels paraphernalia.”

Cook returns to court on June 15.