A feared Rebels bikie sergeant-at-arms who ruled a violent crime ring in Melbourne, has been labelled “clueless” after making a promotional video of him firing a military-style rifle with his young daughter present.
A judge has labelled a Rebels outlaw bikie who fired an illegal military-style SKS assault rifle while smoking as “clueless”.
County Court Judge Bill Stuart said it was “quite a fearsome-looking gun” when he was shown a short video of Matthew Bruce pulling the trigger during a test-fire in the bush.
“Clueless — smoking a cigarette, while holding a gun like that,” Judge Stuart said during a pre-sentence hearing for Bruce’s girlfriend and co-accused Cursty Shields.
Judge Stuart is tasked with sentencing Shields, 32, and strongman Bruce, who is facing a life behind bars after he was busted puppeteering a deadly criminal syndicate involving arson, drive-by shootings, and the underground dealing of guns and drugs across Melbourne.
Prosecutor Andrew Grant said Shields helped Bruce in “essentially preparing a promotional video for the sale of the assault rifle”, having filmed it on her phone at Wombat State Forest while their one-year-old daughter was present.
An earlier phone intercept heard Bruce and Shields discussing going to Bunnings to buy ear plugs for the toddler as the gun was “going to be loud”.
“Do you want go play with daddy’s gun?” Shields said to her daughter, who was making noises in the background, before asking Bruce: “I wonder what she will be like hearing it?”
Bruce said: “I want to make it work on full auto and this time I want you to record the whole f—— thing.”
He later said he wanted to sell it for $27,500.
Police surveillance, telephone intercepts and a bug on Bruce’s car — which had number plates FEARD — as part of a bikie-busting Echo Taskforce investigation uncovered the extent of his criminal enterprise in the three months to February 18 last year.
On the Melton South couple’s arrest, police seized a cache of illegal high-powered guns including the SKS assault rifle, a black bolt action rifle, a shotgun, a small handgun with parts in a plastic case; and a handgun in a pillowcase.
A further handgun was found in a horse float the couple were using for storage.
Judge Stuart also quipped when the prosecution outlined detectives found $17,000 cash stashed in their freezer: “Who still puts cash in the freezer? I reckon it’s one of the first places police look.”
The court heard Shields also assisted Bruce in his ice trafficking ring: purchasing, weighing, packaging and selling it to his clients.
The pair also supplied a shotgun to an associate who Bruce had ordered to fire shots into a Harkness home on February 16 last year.
Two nights earlier, Bruce had directed another of his henchmen to torch cars at a separate Harkness property.
Judge Stuart said it appeared Bruce had a number of “lackies” to do his dirty work for him, including Shields.
Defence written submissions tendered in court outline how Shields feared the bikie and that she felt she had “no option” other than to do what was asked of her.
Shields and Bruce have both pleaded guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of ice, possessing a trafficable quantity of unregistered firearms, discharge firearm at premises, trafficking cannabis, and attempting to obtain property by deception.
He is facing further charges of arson, possession of a firearm in contravention of his firearm prohibition order, and negligently dealing with proceeds of crime.
Rebels bikie Matthew Bruce and girlfriend Cursty Shields face jail over guns and drugs syndicate
A feared Rebels bikie sergeant-at-arms who ruled a violent crime ring in Melbourne, has been labelled “clueless” after making a promotional video of him firing a military-style rifle with his young daughter present.
A judge has labelled a Rebels outlaw bikie who fired an illegal military-style SKS assault rifle while smoking as “clueless”.
County Court Judge Bill Stuart said it was “quite a fearsome-looking gun” when he was shown a short video of Matthew Bruce pulling the trigger during a test-fire in the bush.
“Clueless — smoking a cigarette, while holding a gun like that,” Judge Stuart said during a pre-sentence hearing for Bruce’s girlfriend and co-accused Cursty Shields.
Judge Stuart is tasked with sentencing Shields, 32, and strongman Bruce, who is facing a life behind bars after he was busted puppeteering a deadly criminal syndicate involving arson, drive-by shootings, and the underground dealing of guns and drugs across Melbourne.
Prosecutor Andrew Grant said Shields helped Bruce in “essentially preparing a promotional video for the sale of the assault rifle”, having filmed it on her phone at Wombat State Forest while their one-year-old daughter was present.
An earlier phone intercept heard Bruce and Shields discussing going to Bunnings to buy ear plugs for the toddler as the gun was “going to be loud”.
“Do you want go play with daddy’s gun?” Shields said to her daughter, who was making noises in the background, before asking Bruce: “I wonder what she will be like hearing it?”
Bruce said: “I want to make it work on full auto and this time I want you to record the whole f—— thing.”
He later said he wanted to sell it for $27,500.
Police surveillance, telephone intercepts and a bug on Bruce’s car — which had number plates FEARD — as part of a bikie-busting Echo Taskforce investigation uncovered the extent of his criminal enterprise in the three months to February 18 last year.
On the Melton South couple’s arrest, police seized a cache of illegal high-powered guns including the SKS assault rifle, a black bolt action rifle, a shotgun, a small handgun with parts in a plastic case; and a handgun in a pillowcase.
A further handgun was found in a horse float the couple were using for storage.
Judge Stuart also quipped when the prosecution outlined detectives found $17,000 cash stashed in their freezer: “Who still puts cash in the freezer? I reckon it’s one of the first places police look.”
The court heard Shields also assisted Bruce in his ice trafficking ring: purchasing, weighing, packaging and selling it to his clients.
The pair also supplied a shotgun to an associate who Bruce had ordered to fire shots into a Harkness home on February 16 last year.
Two nights earlier, Bruce had directed another of his henchmen to torch cars at a separate Harkness property.
Judge Stuart said it appeared Bruce had a number of “lackies” to do his dirty work for him, including Shields.
Defence written submissions tendered in court outline how Shields feared the bikie and that she felt she had “no option” other than to do what was asked of her.
Shields and Bruce have both pleaded guilty to trafficking a commercial quantity of ice, possessing a trafficable quantity of unregistered firearms, discharge firearm at premises, trafficking cannabis, and attempting to obtain property by deception.
He is facing further charges of arson, possession of a firearm in contravention of his firearm prohibition order, and negligently dealing with proceeds of crime.
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Source: Herald Sun