Driver tells court of 'fireworks noise' at bikie shooting

OFF THE WIRE
September 8th, 2010
JOHN Bedson covered his face with a bandanna before opening fire from a car with a hail of bullets that left Bandidos enforcer Ross Brand dead, the driver of the getaway vehicle has told court.

"I heard a noise like fireworks coming from behind me," the driver, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told Melbourne's Supreme Court.

"I saw John in the back holding a rifle. He was holding it out the window behind me."

John Bedson, 27, is accused of murdering Ross Brand and injuring fellow Bandido Paul Szerwinski after allegedly shooting six bullets at a group of four men standing outside the Bandidos' Breakwater clubhouse on October 22, 2008.

The driver said Bedson ordered him to drive away moments after the shooting.

"I was told to go," he said. "I didn't initially go, and I was told to go again, so I did."

The court heard that earlier on the day of the shooting, the driver had been visiting Bedson's brother, Derek, at home and been asked to give him a lift in Derek's white twin-cab Toyota Hilux.

Once on the road, Derek received several calls and directed the driver to Buckley's Tabaret in Breakwater, where they met a group of men including the defendant, John Bedson.

The court heard how John Bedson joined the two men in the Hilux, getting into the back seat of the car, and directed the driver until they arrived at the Bandidos' clubhouse in Leather St.

"I was told to slow down, then was told to stop," the driver said.

"John put on a bandanna covering his nose and mouth.

"I saw it in the driver's mirror. It was blue and red. I believe he folded it into a triangular shape."

The driver said he heard the noise "like firecrackers" and turned to see Bedson holding the rifle. "He was holding it with his left hand down the barrel," he said.

"The rifle butt was in his right shoulder."

The driver said he looked to the right, outside the car, and saw three men outside the clubhouse.

He said he couldn't accurately estimate how long the Hilux was stationary for before he was ordered to drive away.

"It wasn't minutes," he said.

"It was just seconds."

The trial continues before Justice Elizabeth Curtain.