A senior Comanchero bikie and his associate conspired to “fuckin’ go to town” on a rival club member two weeks before they shot up and firebombed his Kambah home, police allege.
Christopher James Millington phoned into the ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday from the Alexander Maconochie Centre. Police say he is a long-time associate of Canberra’s Comanchero chapter. His co-accused, Aofangatukau Fatafehi Finau Langi – who is known by the nickname “Tooks” – is the clubs’s local sergeant-at-arms.
Both men, aged 31, have previously pleaded not guilty to all charges they face after an alleged attack on November 21, 2019. They have each been charged with nine identical offences including arson, discharging a firearm at a person, and aggravated burglary, but Mr Millington faces a 10th charge of attempting to destroy evidence.
Police documents tendered to the court said officers bugged Mr Millington’s phone, a Mazda 6, and a house in Kambah in late 2019.
A former Canberra Comanchero who patched over to rival club the Nomads, Alexander Victor Miller, lived in the house at the time. The documents said that on November 7, 2019, Langi and Mr Millington conspired in a McDonald’s car park to “fuck up” Miller after Mr Millington’s mate conducted reconnaissance of his Kambah house.
During a conversation intercepted in the Mazda 6, Mr Millington allegedly said their attack would have to be within a “four-minute frame”, and talked about cutting Miller’s fingers off. “I wanna be quick. Two of us fuckin’ baseball bat him, someone else ransack the house, some else fuckin’ take the hard drive, the phones, all that shit … and then we all burn it on the way out when he’s fucked up,”
Mr Millington allegedly said. “Just be in there quick, man, boom boom. “I got this too … a fuckin’ grinder … like a fuckin’ battery-powered hand-held one. “If he’s got a safe that’ll cut … a hole straight in it.”
The documents said two weeks later, on November 21, Miller saw Langi and Mr Millington at his door holding guns, along with a third man. The men allegedly stormed the house and Miller and his girlfriend hid in the bathroom, before they went outside and called emergency services.
The documents said the incident was captured on police listening device at the house.
The Mazda 6 was allegedly used to transport offenders there. “[Langi] is heard to say, ‘discharge at him’,” the documents said. “Loud banging continued for a short time, before two loud sharp bangs … and a roaring or crackling noise can be heard to commence.”
When police inspected the house they found the lounge room and entryway had been significantly damaged by fire. Two partially melted jerry cans were on the floor, the house’s front door was damaged, and two cars out the front had smashed windows.
Officers found a bullet casing on the house’s kitchen floor and a bullet lodged in the door frame of the bathroom. Mr Millington allegedly later contacted a car-wrecking business in an attempt to get the Mazda 6 destroyed.
Defence lawyer Tim Sharman made an application for Mr Millington to be granted bail on Thursday, on grounds including that a health issue made him vulnerable if he contracted COVID-19.
Acting Chief Magistrate Glenn Theakston refused Mr Millington bail, noting he was accused of “very, very serious” offences involving both planned and actual violence. Mr Millington is due in court again on April 23.
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Source: The Canberra Times