Two senior members of the Comancheros bikie gang were spotted by undercover police catching up for
coffee the morning after shots were fired at the house of a rival Rebels member.
coffee the morning after shots were fired at the house of a rival Rebels member.
Ray Cilli, who has previously been described as the State commander of the Comancheros, and Steffan Bourke were seen at the Health Freak cafe in Cockburn early last month — hours after the house of Jason Gastarov was targeted in what police believe was an escalation of the growing tensions between the gangs.
The pair were on bail on separate charges involving threats, guns and drugs — and had been prohibited by a court from meeting each other or anyone else in the gang. So police swooped.
Yesterday, before a Supreme Court judge, the men applied to be freed from Hakea Prison. But prosecutors said they should stay behind bars with senior police fearing that the public could be caught up in the escalating war between opposing bikie factions.
No evidence of any link between Mr Cilli, Mr Bourke and the shooting has been found or alleged by police.
And no legal proof of the feared bikie war was presented to Justice Lindy Jenkins yesterday.
But prosecutors Cillian Stockdale and Erin O’Donnell said the tensions should be considered when considering the application to release the men.
The court was shown CCTV vision of the Comancheros pair at the coffee shop on the morning of September 5, hours after the perimeter wall of the Rebels member’s Waikiki house was peppered with bullets.
At the time, Mr Cilli was on bail after being charged with making threats to a man during an intercepted phone call, as well as for an allegation of pretending to be armed to cause fear. He also faces serious tax issues.
Mr Bourke was on bail after police allegedly found more than 10g of cocaine hidden in a sock during a raid on his home.
Through their lawyers, the pair said the meeting was inadvertent and their conversation was not connected to any bikie business or criminal behaviour. They said Mr Cilli was showing a friend pictures of his children on his phone.
Justice Jenkins will make her decision on Friday.
Australia - TWA.
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