Lone Wolf bikie Tyson Bayley tells court of 'deep regret' over shooting former friend at Woonona
A Woonona bikie who shot his
best friend of seven years after a falling out over the
man’s decision to leave the Lone Wolf outlaw motorcycle club
has told a court he deeply regrets his actions.
“It’s hard to put into words
but I will never be able to forgive myself for it,” Tyson
Neil Bayley said during his sentence hearing in Wollongong
District Court on Friday.
“We’d bickered in the past
but always came good on it.
“It’s only after I did it
that I realised I could never take it back. I’ve lost all
our mutual friends because of it.
“I have dreams where me and
him are back to being friends again and there’s no injury to
his face but then I wake up to the reality of what I’ve
done.”
Bayley, who sports a large
wolf tattoo on his neck, pleaded guilty to a charge
of discharging a firearm with intent to cause grievous
bodily harm over the September 2016 shooting, which left
ex-Lone Wolfer Nigel Romaniszyn partially blind in one eye
and with permanently face scarring.
Court documents reveal the
former friends fell out after Romaniszyn sought to leave the
bikie club and the pair exchanged a series of
threatening text messages in
the weeks before the shooting.
Their verbal stoush came to a
head one night, prompting Romaniszyn to agree to meet at
Bayley’s home the next day.
However, Bayley opened fire
at his former friend just moments after he pulled up and
exited the vehicle.
Romaniszyn got back into his
car and drove to a friend’s house on nearby Mountain Avenue
where emergency services were contacted.
He was placed in an induced
coma, intubated and airlifted to St George Hospital with
gunshot wounds to his forehead, face and neck.
Bayley, along with two
associates with him at the time, brothers Baris and Umit
Esen, then piled into Umit’s car and drove off.
The trio was arrested less
than a week later following an intensive investigation by
Wollongong detectives.
The Esen brothers were both
originally charged with being accessories after the fact,
however
Baris struck a deal with prosecutors
and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of concealing a
serious indictable offence
of another. He has since been placed on a two-year good
behaviour bond.
In court on Friday, Umit was
handed a suspended jail sentence after pleading guilty to
the accessory charge.
Bayley will be sentenced on
May 30.
The following text messages are from an exchange between Tyson Bayley and the victim.
Tyson Bayley: I got
nothing to speak to u about Dog u want ur one on one u know
were I live
TB: Nothing to do with
the club I'm no putrid c**t u wanna put me on the weak c**t
we'll see, come get it
Victim: I not gona
come to ya house that's a low act I'll see ya round no big
deal y u wanna write back now
TB: Low act? I was ur
brother I loved u and u turned on me come to my house c**t
ur not my mate anymore
Victim: Yea going to
someone's house is a low act! In my books! But wat evs I'll
call u tomoz
TB: COME FIGHT THE
WEAK C**T
TB: Get some rest ur
over tomorrow
TB: See u at mine
tomorrow
TB: Turn up or don't
show ur face in woonona anymore
TB: Lol what u tryin
to throw off this beef to him? He wants none of it and if he
does hell cop what u do dog be at mine tomorrow this is my
town this will be on my terms Unanderra mutt
Victim: Bring ya swag
c**t u will be having a nap
TB: Be at mine or I'll
come to yours
Victim: Come to mine
and this is were u rest C**T
TB: Lol I've saved
your life twice dog now I'm gonna take it
TB: You'll be leaving
Wollongong tomorrow night