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Charges over tattoo turf war
Joel Dullroy
 

20jul05
A BIKIE turf war has broken out on the Gold Coast, with four alleged gang members charged with extortion after a rival tattoo shop was trashed.


Tattooist Scott Anthony Holland, 32, tattoo store director Christopher Taylor, 34, Aaron Drew Scheers, 21, and Shane Toby Treloar, 31, yesterday appeared in Southport Magistrate's Court charged with extortion, wilful damage, break and enter, and assault occasioning bodily harm.

Taylor, the director of Atomic Tattoo Company in Nobby Beach, also was charged with unlawfully possessing a weapon and a dangerous drug.

Police told the court the four men threatened to "smash" the owner of a tattoo shop in Miami for opening too close to their own shop at Nobby Beach last Thursday.

They returned to the shop on Monday armed with a gun and a knife, overturning furniture and assaulting the store owner with a wooden sign, the court was told.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Lavonda Maloy said the four men were members of the Lone Wolves Outlaw motorcycle gang.

She said they visited the Satisfaction Art Tattoo Shop, telling the owner to "close up the shop".

Sgt Maloy told the court the men said: "If the doors are open tomorrow, we'll smash up the shop and make sure you never do business again. Do you really think it's a good idea opening a tattoo shop so close to another? It's either going to be the easy way or the hard way, and we don't mind doing it the hard way."

The court was told the men then returned this week, overturning a desk and throwing a wooden sign at the owner. The sign also struck an undercover policeman who was posing as an employee at the shop.

"The actions were carried out in broad daylight, with no effort made to hide their actions," Sgt Maloy said. "Police have serious concerns for the welfare of the complainant and members of the public."

Defence solicitor Michael McMillan attempted to have the extortion charges dismissed on a legal technicality and suggested the victim had made complaints against the defendants to put them out of business.

"What better way for a tattooist to put a rival out of business than to make a complaint of extortion and have the opposition rounded up and held in custody," Mr McMillan said.

He said the defendants denied being members of a bikie gang and applied for bail.

Magistrate Michael O'Driscoll rejected the application.

The men were remanded in custody until September 15

 

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