OFF THE WIRE
The president of the Commanchero Motorcycle Club, Mahmoud (Mick) Hawi, insisted today he had not been involved in the death of a man at Sydney Airport in 2009 despite being shown a photo that placed him at the scene of the fight.
Mr Hawi, who has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Anthony Zervas on March 22, 2009, said he did not even see the fight at the airport when Mr Zervas was hit by a bollard.
Five other Commanchero members have pleaded not guilty to murder before Justice Robert Hulme in the Supreme Court at Parramatta.
A member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, with which Anthony Zervas was associated, is standing trial for riot and affray.
Crown prosecutor Natalie Adams asked: "What I am suggesting to you is that a number of Commancheros assaulted the deceased and towards the end of the assault you were the one who hit him with the bollard."
Mr Hawi: "No."
Ms Adams: "Can you tell the court you had no idea he was being killed at the airport that day?"
Mr Hawi: "On my oath, Ma'am."
Mr Hawi said he had been involved in a scuffle with Anthony Zervas and his brother Peter Zervas before the fatal fight and that was behind the check-in counter at the airport.
Eleven other Commancheros and five Hells Angels were there but the other Commancheros had all run away and he had been left fighting Peter and Anthony Zervas by himself.
He said someone had pulled off Anthony Zervas and he himself had run; he had just wanted to get out of the terminal.
Ms Adams: "Are you suggesting that not a single member of the Commancheros tried to help you?"
Mr Hawi: "Yes."
Mr Hawi said that he believed that Anthony and Peter Zervas had tried to kill him and he had suffered a wound on his hand that had been bleeding.
Ms Adams put it to him that what had really happened was that there been a brawl between the Commancheros and Hells Angels behind the check-in counter and they had all "tumbled through", including Anthony Zervas.
Mr Hawi: "No, Ma'am."
Ms Adams: "And at some stage he [Anthony Zervas] managed to get away and he was chased?"
Mr Hawi: "I cannot agree with that."
Ms Adams: "At some stage he hit the floor?"
Mr Hawi: "I cannot remember."
Ms Adams: "He was chased by the Commancheros till he hit the ground? He was assaulted by a large number of Commancheros?"
Mr Hawi: "I did not see the assault."
Ms Adams: "He fell to the floor and he was hit with bollards?"
Mr Hawi: "I did not see it."
Ms Adams: "You went over there and you were part of the final assault?"
Mr Hawi: "No, Ma'am."
Ms Adams: "You used a bollard?"
Mr Hawi: "Never used a bollard."
Ms Adams pointed out that though Mr Hawi claimed to have been injured on the hand, he had not shown the injury to police when they charged him two weeks later and not one drop of his blood had ever been found at the airport.
The trial continues.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/i-didnt-know-airport-victim-was-being-killed-bikie-20110823-1j7t6.html#ixzz1VqwFzaGm
