An 18-year-old who police allege has links to street gangs was one of three shirtless teens arrested in a dramatic sea, air and land operation at Manly’s Little Manly Beach on Monday afternoon.
The major sting involving a police helicopter, police boat and officers on land picked up Bryan Boney, 18, Jack Dempsey, 18, and Kyen Nolan, 19, who police say were involved in the theft of a motocross bike from Heathcote in September.
Footage published by the Manly Observer shows several shirtless men, wearing only football shorts, being marched along the shoreline by the 10 officers on the sand at the popular harbour beach.
Police also allegedly seized a number of knives.
Detectives say the trio broke into a garage at Heathcote on Sydney’s bushy southern fringe. One of the accused, Boney, was allegedly captured on CCTV wearing a balaclava and wheeling the motorbike out of the garage, the Manly Local Court heard on Tuesday.
The trio were allegedly involved in the theft of a motocross bike from Heathcote earlier this year.Credit: Manly Observer TV
“Police have serious concerns regarding his link to street gangs,” court documents allege. Police say his DNA and fingerprints have been found in connection to the motorbike, the theft of which has left the victims “shaken and scared”.
Boney was granted conditional bail by Magistrate Stapleton.
Another of the teens, Dempsey, was arrested last Tuesday and charged with aggravated break-and-enter and stealing the motorbike. He was granted bail, with one condition being that he does not associate with his co-accused.
His Legal Aid lawyer told the court the meeting at the beach in Manly was “not arranged”, “accidental”, and some 40 kilometres from their homes in Doonside and Seven Hills in Sydney’s west.
Police allegedly seized a number of knives at the popular harbour beach on Monday afternoon. Credit: Police Media
Magistrate Lisa Stapleton was scathing. “It took him one week to breach his bail. I cannot believe that he could accidentally meet a co-accused at Little Manly Beach if your client lives at Doonside. I don’t believe it for a moment,” she said.
Magistrate Stapleton granted him bail, “notwithstanding that I think it’s nonsense”.
The third teenager, Nolan, did not apply for bail, which was formally refused. As well as the theft of the motorbike, he was charged over the theft of a silver Mercedes-Benz from a Condell Park home this month.
All three men will appear in local courts next week.
The trio was picked up by Strike Force Sweetenham, which was formed in 2021 to address what police saw as a concerning trend – teenagers or young adults breaking into homes, largely in wealthy suburbs, to steal cars.
Cars are taken, police say, then either sold to criminal syndicates and used as getaways in underworld hits or filmed being driven at extreme speeds, without seatbelts or on the wrong side of the road in videos for social media.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.