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A junior Canberra bikie may have been fast-tracked to full Comanchero membership as a reward for his “significant service” in committing an attempted murder on behalf of the gang, a court has heard. Axel Sidaros is on trial in the ACT Supreme Court, fighting seven charges that stem from an alleged assassination attempt at the Calwell home of former Canberra Comanchero commander Peter Zdravkovic in June 2018. He denies prosecutors’ claims he was one of four masked intruders who shot at Zdravkovic and set fire to three cars in an incident captured on home security cameras. A criminal who has previously said Mr Sidaros confessed to him while on remand gave evidence on Monday as the 26-year-old’s retrial entered a second week. The man, whose name has been suppressed by Justice David Mossop, repeatedly told the court he could not remember his conversations with Mr Sidaros when the pair were in jail together. But he insisted he would not have lied to police when interviewed about the issue in December 2018. The man agreed one of the things he told officers was that Mr Sidaros had spoken of becoming a patched Comanchero member after being involved with the gang’s Canberra chapter as a nominee for just two months. Another witness, police intelligence analyst and outlaw motorcycle gangs expert Anthony Macken, indicated in his evidence such a quick elevation to the ranks of patched members would be highly unusual. Mr Macken told the court prospective bikie gang members almost always served a minimum of 12 months as a nominee to “engender loyalty and obedience”. He said in his experience, nominees had sometimes become patched members more quickly as a reward for their participation in incidents that “always surround violence on behalf of the club”. Mr Macken agreed when asked if it would require “significant service” to the gang for someone to become a full member after just two or three months. It is the Crown’s case that Mr Sidaros was promoted from Comanchero nominee to patched member soon after the attack on Zdravkovic, who had been on the opposite side of an internal dispute before being booted out of the gang. Prosecutors allege the four intruders who attacked Zdravkovic did so because he had disrespected the Comancheros by refusing demands to hand over motorbikes, a car and his gang “colours”. Rather than surrender these things before the incident, Zdravkovic burnt Comanchero paraphernalia in what Mr Macken said was a “very” provocative act that had opened him up to “violent retribution” from the gang. Mr Sidaros’ judge-alone retrial, ordered after he successfully appealed earlier this year against the convictions from his first trial, continues on Tuesday. It is expected to conclude later this week.
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Attempted murder may have fast-tracked bikie, trial hears
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Axel Sidaros’ apparently quick elevation to patched bikie might have been a reward for violence or “significant service”, a court has heard.
news, crime,
2020-12-08T04:30:00+11:00
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https://players.brightcove.net/3879528182001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6212984640001
CCTV of the June 2018 incident at the Calwell home of Peter Zdravkovic.
A junior Canberra bikie may have been fast-tracked to full Comanchero membership as a reward for his “significant service” in committing an attempted murder on behalf of the gang, a court has heard.
He denies prosecutors’ claims he was one of four masked intruders who shot at Zdravkovic and set fire to three cars in an incident captured on home security cameras.
A criminal who has previously said Mr Sidaros confessed to him while on remand gave evidence on Monday as the 26-year-old’s retrial entered a second week.
Axel Sidaros at a shooting range before the alleged attempted murder of Peter Zdravkovic. Picture: Supplied
The man, whose name has been suppressed by Justice David Mossop, repeatedly told the court he could not remember his conversations with Mr Sidaros when the pair were in jail together.
But he insisted he would not have lied to police when interviewed about the issue in December 2018.
The man agreed one of the things he told officers was that Mr Sidaros had spoken of becoming a patched Comanchero member after being involved with the gang’s Canberra chapter as a nominee for just two months.
Another witness, police intelligence analyst and outlaw motorcycle gangs expert Anthony Macken, indicated in his evidence such a quick elevation to the ranks of patched members would be highly unusual.
Mr Macken told the court prospective bikie gang members almost always served a minimum of 12 months as a nominee to “engender loyalty and obedience”.
He said in his experience, nominees had sometimes become patched members more quickly as a reward for their participation in incidents that “always surround violence on behalf of the club”.
Axel Sidaros outside court last year.
Mr Macken agreed when asked if it would require “significant service” to the gang for someone to become a full member after just two or three months.
It is the Crown’s case that Mr Sidaros was promoted from Comanchero nominee to patched member soon after the attack on Zdravkovic, who had been on the opposite side of an internal dispute before being booted out of the gang.
Prosecutors allege the four intruders who attacked Zdravkovic did so because he had disrespected the Comancheros by refusing demands to hand over motorbikes, a car and his gang “colours”.
Rather than surrender these things before the incident, Zdravkovic burnt Comanchero paraphernalia in what Mr Macken said was a “very” provocative act that had opened him up to “violent retribution” from the gang.
