Nabil Moughnieh – formerly known as Nabil Maghnie – has links to the Comanchero Motorcycle Club and was previously investigated for shooting former Bandidos enforcer Toby Mitchell.
A Melbourne underworld figure who once drove himself to hospital after being shot in the head has fronted court over allegations he was speeding at more than 200km/h when he was involved in a crash last month.
Police allege Mr Maghnie, 43, was found near the luxury black Range Rover Sport at the Woodstock crash scene about 12.40am on May 25. Body worn cameras by officers at the scene allegedly captured him confessing to driving. But Melbourne Magistrates Court heard he later denied involvement and convinced a mate to walk in to a police station and admit being the driver.
Investigators allegedly became suspicious when the mate’s details of the crash were so vague — and a check of his phone put him some 240km away in Myrtleford at the time. DNA found on the driver’s side airbag was also allegedly 2.9 billion times more likely to be that of Mr Maghnie.
Mr Maghnie is charged with reckless conduct endangering life, drug-driving, disqualified driving, attempting to pervert the court of justice, and committing an indictable offence on bail.
His arrest came a week before his son, Jacob Elliott, was charged with murdering security guard Aaron Khalid Osmani, 37, and patron Richard Arow, 28, in a drive-by shooting at Love Machine nightclub in Prahran about 3.10am on April 14.
Detective Senior Constable Ciaran Duryea, from the Echo Taskforce strongly opposed bail telling the court Mr Maghnie had a “reputation as being a hard man”. “Not too many people can say they’ve survived being shot in the head twice,”
Det Sen-Constable Duryea said. “His criminal reputation precedes him.”
The court heard Mr Maghnie has spent some eight years in prison and has a rap sheet that includes drugs, weapons, driving and failing to comply with court order offences.
Det Sen-Constable Duryea said Mr Maghnie was “the focus of a number” of investigations by the bikie-busting taskforce, but clarified there was no evidence he was a patched member of an outlaw motorcycle gang. He said if released Mr Maghnie was at risk of reoffending, interfering in the police investigation, and putting the lives of the community in danger with his reckless driving.
He said Mr Maghnie was on two counts of bail at the time of the crash. On February 21, police bailed him on three counts of driving while disqualified and possession of cocaine and anabolic steroids. And a further charge was laid on him today after he was allegedly caught on CCTV stealing a case of wine from a mailroom at a Docklands apartment on March 4.
Barrister Philip Dunn, for Mr Maghnie, conceded his client’s criminal history was appalling. But he asked Magistrate Kieran Gilligan to give his client the last chance that he needs to be bailed into a residential drug treatment facility to kick his drug problem. He said he would be under 24 hour surveillance, and a $400,000 surety would be offered.
Mr Gilligan will hand down his decision on Tuesday.
Source: The West Australian