Friday, June 17, 2011

Australia - Bikie to face SA court over club brawl

OFF THE WIRE
A member of a bikie 'terror team' will be extradited to Adelaide over a nightclub brawl with a rival gang.

Finks member Nicholas John Forbes, 41, was arrested on Wednesday on the Gold Coast over his alleged involvement in the fight at a Hindley Street nightclub in Adelaide on May 29.

It's alleged Forbes and other Finks members stormed the club and used bar stools, knives and bottles to attack members of the Hells Angels gang.

Forbes has been charged with rioting, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' jail.

He appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday when he applied for bail.

His lawyer, Bill Potts, said Forbes would make his own way to Adelaide to face court.

The Crown opposed the application, saying Forbes was a flight risk, and CCTV footage from inside the club clearly identified him attacking another man with a bar stool.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Michelle Clarke also said there was a risk of further trouble between the two gangs if he was released.

She said Forbes was part of the Finks' 'terror team', and that he had links to bikie clubs in four different states.

The court heard he was involved in the now infamous Ballroom Blitz brawl between rival Hells Angels and Finks gang members during a kickboxing tournament at the Gold Coast's Royal Pines Resort in 2006.

Forbes was refused bail and will be extradited on Thursday night to face court on Friday.

At least 16 other Hells Angels and Finks members have been arrested over the incident.

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2011/06/16/Bikie_to_face_SA_court_over_club_brawl_626254.html