Shane Bowden’s former partner says COVID bikie did not put people in danger
The former partner of Finks bikie Shane Bowden says he is owed an apology after authorities claimed he boarded a plane while infectious with coronavirus. But she doesn’t think “they have the balls” to say sorry.
QLD News
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THE former partner of Finks bikie Shane Bowden says he is owed an apology after authorities claimed he boarded a plane while positive with coronavirus.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk repeated the claim at a press conference this morning, despite Queensland Health issuing a health alert last night confirming he was not contagious.
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Trudi McPhee, who has a teenage son with Bowden, said her former long-term partner may be a bikie who had committed violent offences against people in criminal circles – but she did not believe he would put members of the public in danger.
“He was given the all-clear,” she said.
“They said he had COVID and they need to apologise to him but I don’t think they have the balls to apologise to him, quite frankly.”
Ms Palaszczuk this morning said it was “her understanding” that Bowden was “positive when he actually arrived” in Queensland.
Asked whether he was “positive on the plane”, she said “that’s my understanding”, before admitting she would need to check the details with Health Minister Steven Miles.
But last night, Queensland Health released an alert that included: “A public health alert has not been issued for the flight the reported Victorian resident was on as new advice provided to Queensland Health is that he was not infectious while on the flight.”
Bowden flew into Queensland on Monday morning after checking himself out of a Melbourne hospital.
He remains under investigation by police for allegedly lying on his border declaration pass.
The Fink-turned-Mongol-turned-Fink has spent much of the past 20 years in prison and was involved in the infamous Gold Coast ballroom blitz bikie brawl.
He shot Hells Angel Christopher Wayne Hudson during the brawl, landing him with a seven-year jail term.
He more recently spent five years in a Victorian jail for a violent home invasion.
Bowden walked from prison in June into a waiting stretch limousine but was soon expelled from the Mongols.
Two weeks after his release, he was injured in a drive by shooting.
Ms McPhee said Bowden was diagnosed with COVID-19 on July 19 while in hospital.
“The reason he went to hospital was because his leg was very badly infected after he was shot,” she said.
She said Bowden was due to have surgery but it was delayed when he tested positive for coronavirus.
“He contacted our son on August 11 saying that he was still in hospital,” Ms McPhee said.
“He had (coronavirus) really bad. That’s why he was in hospital for so long.”
Ms McPhee said she believes Bowden got the all clear shortly after August 20.
She said he wanted to leave Victoria because he believed people were after him.
“He should never have got on a plane,” she said.
“He’s pretty pig-headed – that’s him – but he doesn’t put other people at risk.
“You know, flying for the sake of flying. He can be quite selfish and pig-headed but he is not going to do that.”
Ms McPhee said claims that Bowden boarded a plane while infectious had affected his family.
“Everyone’s allowed to have a second chance,” she said.
“He promised me while he was in jail that he was going to change, he wasn’t going to get into trouble.
“And yeah, he did the wrong thing (with the border declaration pass) but he was cleared – he didn’t have COVID.”
Originally published as Shane Bowden’s former partner says COVID bikie did not put people in danger
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