AUSTRALIA - Police charges dropped in embarrassing bikie blunder

OFF THE WIRE
POLICE could be forced to pay the legal bills of a trio of Hells Angels bikie members after an embarrassing legal backdown in which extortion charges were dropped on the eve of trial. Police prosecutor Daniel McMahon yesterday told Burwood Local Court police had decided to withdraw all charges against five men, including Sydney chapter boss Felix Lyle.
Three of the men faced four charges each, and two faced three charges related to allegedly threatening luxury car dealer Terry Mullens in July last year at his Burwood car yard.
Mostafa Jouayd, 31, was accused of demanding Mr Mullens hand over a silver BMW M3 sportscar worth $49,990 while accompanied by Selim Kocak, 25 from Fairfield, and Jeffrey Sahyoun and two other men.
Defence lawyer Paul Hardin, representing one of the accused, Nonda Stamatakis, said the prosecution had failed "to properly investigate the credibility" of Mr Mullens.
Mr Hardin said the police decision to withdraw the charges came just 10 days before the hearing and he would be seeking costs at a hearing on May 30.
Mr Hardin told the court he had told police when his client was charged that he planned to vigorously attack Mr Mullen's credibility at trial.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/police-charges-dropped-in-embarrassing-bikie-blunder/story-e6freuzi-1226351410327