Bikie boss to appeal conviction

MAKAYLA MUSCAT

The national President of the Rebels bikie gang has been fined after a Magistrate found he resisted police during a roadside vehicle check at Silverdale.

Damien Vella, 43, appeared in Penrith Local Court with his partner on Monday where he was charged with ‘resisting and hindering police’, and ‘inciting another to assault, resist or hinder police’.

It is alleged that two Raptor Squad officers pulled him and his partner over while they were riding his Harley-Davidson through Silverdale on December 2, 2021.

The court heard that Constable Stephen Norris stopped the motorcycle for a road worthiness inspection. Vella was wearing his Rebels colours at the time.

crash investigators attended the scene, trying to work out how the accident occurred.

It is alleged that Constable Norris first issued a red label – a notice meaning the vehicle must be towed away due to a dangerous defect – on Vella’s Harley-Davidson for having no reflectors.

“There is an ongoing conflict between the Rebels Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (OMCG) and the Finks OMCG in the Silverdale and surrounding areas,” Norris said in his police statement.

“When OMCG’s are in conflict with each other, they carry weapons for self defence and planned attacks against other rival gang members.”

The police say that Vella became argumentative and refused to hand over his colours.

It is alleged that Constable Norris then deployed OC spray to deescalate the situation and control the defendant.

When Magistrate Gregory Moore handed down his verdict, he said that even though the OC spray was deployed for more than three seconds, it was not “unwarranted or unnecessarily prolonged”.

He also ruled that it was not unreasonable for Constable Norris to refuse to search Vella’s vest while he was still wearing it.

Magistrate Moore also noted that Vella was repeatedly asked to hand it over before the spray was deployed.

The driver involved in Monday’s fatal crash on the M4 Motorway at Orchard Hills has been identified as a 55-year-old man.

About 12.15pm on January 30, the van the man was driving collided with a barrier and caught fire in the eastbound lanes of the Motorway.

The 55-year-old was the sole occupant of the vehicle and despite a quick emergency response, he died at the scene.

The M4 was closed for several hours while

A report will be prepared for the information of the coroner and police are urging anyone who may have witnessed or has any available dashcam footage of the crash to contact St Marys Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The crash was one of several in the Penrith area on Monday as wet conditions sparked a range of incidents.

A serious accident occurred on the Great Western Highway, while a single-vehicle accident forced the closure of Bents Basin Road at Wallacia on Monday night.

He then asked Vella, who is subject to a firearm prohibitions order, to hand over his vest so he could check it for weapons.

Vella was convicted and fined $500. His lawyer has since confirmed that a conviction appeal has been lodged with the NSW District Court.