Five former Finks bikies have been jailed for up to 15 years for bashing a senior gang member with pool cues and a vacuum cleaner. Chi...
Five former Finks bikies have been jailed for up to 15 years for bashing a senior gang member with pool cues and a vacuum cleaner.
Chief Justice Chris Kourakis said the Finks sergeant at arms Charlie Bonnici was found lying in a pool of blood at the now defunct gang's Salisbury clubrooms in northern Adelaide in February 2013.
He had severe injuries to his head and face and was struggling to breathe.
Gang members and nominees, Mostyn Niemann, Bozidar Cekic, Paul Paunovic, Corey Dettmann and Dean Ciantar, were found guilty in March of aggravated assault causing serious harm with intent.
They were today handed down their sentences for their various roles in the brutal bashing.
The men were jailed with sentences ranging from about eight years up to 15 years, with some breaching good behaviour bonds.
Chief Justice Kourakis said the sentence had to send a strong message to other bikies.
"Of course it is important to deter offences of serious violence by whomsoever they are committed," he said.
"In sentencing for offences of serious violence committed by offenders who are associated with outlaw gangs, the element of general deterrence assumes greater relative importance because it is necessary to counter the violent culture of those gangs."
Justice Kourakis said it was not possible to differentiate between the involvement of Cekic, Dettmann and Paunovic.
"Each of them personally struck Mr Bonnici or encouraged it," he said.
He said Ciantar and Niemann played a "more limited role as a lookout".
After the sentence, all five men appeared relaxed, shaking hands and smiling before being ushered from the dock.
There was a strong police presence both inside and outside the Supreme Court.
More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-31/five-former-finks-bikies-jailed-for-bashing/6662970
