Lone Wolf bikie Joshua Battah threatened to ‘put a bullet in’ informant before allegedly spraying his house with bullets

 

 

 

The explosive revelations were tendered as alleged bikie ringleader Joshua Paul Battah unsuccessfully sought bail in Wyong Local Court after his arrest at Budgewoi on Thursday — just hours after a drive-by shooting of a house on Toowoon Bay Rd, Toowoon Bay.

It comes as detectives from the State Crime Command’s Gang Squad filed a further five charges against the 33-year-old Lone Wolf member for drugs, weapons and proceeds of crime offences.

Battah has not entered pleas to any of his 16 charges, which mainly involve the alleged ongoing commercial supply of drugs to a police informant dating back to May and “knowingly direct activities of a criminal group”.

Police facts reveal officers were aware of a looming “war” between the Lone Wolf and Rebels outlaw bikie gangs.

“This ‘war’ appears to have commenced due to a recent stabbing of Lone Wolf members by a Rebels member in Tweed Heads,” the facts read.

 

 

Police allege Battah supplied more than a kilogram of amphetamines and various other amounts of heroin and cocaine to their informant between May 8 and August 7 with a combined value of almost $100,000.

Phone taps allegedly revealed Battah had been promoted from NSW sergeant at arms to one of three national sergeant at arms within the Lone Wolf gang and recently met a senior figure of the Rebels “in relation to a recent escalation in conflict between the two (criminal motorcycle gangs)”.

The police facts said officers spoke to Battah in the afternoon before the alleged drive by shooting about the “escalating violence” and urged him to use his senior position to cool things down but he “disregarded it”.

Police allege Battah ordered their informant to meet him in Sydney to collect a cache of firearms “in relation to the recent escalation of violence” but the informant rang police instead who instructed him not to go.

 

 

Through a series of intercepted “phone calls and messages the accused became increasingly irate with the known person for failing to attend”.

In the phone calls and messages Battah allegedly threatened to shoot and burn the informant’s house down if he did not turn up and ordered other members to find where he was “immediately”.

Battah’s barrister conceded while he was an unacceptable risk to the community, those risks could be mitigated by his brother Daniel Battah — seated at the back of the court — putting up $200,000 surety.

She said Battah would also be willing to abide by strict conditions that he live with his wife at St Clair, report daily to police, surrender his passport, work for his brother and abide by a curfew.

 

 

She said he had few prior criminal matters, that it would take months before the analysis of drugs and other samples were finalised and the police already had him under “surveillance”.

The SC also told the court the evidence regarding the drive by shooting was “purely circumstantial”.

“With great respect your Honour they are very strict bail conditions,” she said.

“It would place him in home detention as it were, in the custody of his wife and his brother.”

However in refusing bail Magistrate Susan McIntyre said “the court has grave concerns” about the danger he posed and “the nature of the offences are of the most serious kind”.