Troy Mercanti was allowed to stay at home instead of appearing in court today because he is suffering from flu-like symptoms following his return from a bikie funeral in NSW.
Mercanti — who became a grandfather last month — was due in Perth Magistrate’s Court today accused of breaching a post-sentence supervision order which bans him from associating with bikies, which are charges that stem from alleged breaches before his trip over east. But he did not show, with prosecutor Nick John — from the State Solicitor’s Office — confirming he had read a medical certificate Mercanti had forwarded to the court and said it was “difficult to argue with that”.
Mercanti last night appeared alongside his son-in-law Lawrence Freauf in an Instagram story post holding granddaughter Gianna Valentina Freauf, who is believed to have been born in mid-June.
“My beautiful granddaughter Gianna,” Mercanti commented on a June 22 post by Mr Freauf with a photo of Gianna.
“(Apple) don’t fall far from the tree.”
Mercanti was last month granted bail to travel to NSW for the funeral of a Mongol bikie named Santa and has been in self-isolation at home since his return to WA on June 29. That means his mandatory quarantine period ended yesterday, but it is understood he is still suffering from flu-like symptoms and is awaiting results of a COVID-19 test.
No one is allowed to enter the courthouse if they are feeling unwell or suffering from flu-like symptoms.
Chief Magistrate Steven Heath adjourned the case to August 18, when Mercanti is also due to appear on new allegations of breaching the order stemming from his controversial interstate trip. But it is unclear as to whether the terms of the order apply outside WA.
The State Solicitor’s Office has taken over the handling of the case following the decision by a police prosecutor not to object to an application by Mercanti’s lawyers to allow him to fly east.
That embarrassment was compounded when it became clear that police had subsequently given Mercanti a COVID-19 travel exemption so he could board the plane.
It was further revealed in court last week that Mercanti was allegedly using a mobile phone with military-grade encryption the day before he flew to NSW. Police prosecutors successfully argued that he should be banned from using so-called cipher phones, which “could facilitate undetected communication” as part of his conditions of his latest release on bail.
It is alleged police discovered the phone when Mercanti was pulled over by police on June 17, but he refused to answer questions about the phone when quizzed by uniformed officers.
Other conditions of bail include a ban on “speaking to, communicating with by any means, being in close physical proximity with (and) being in a motor vehicle with” bikie club members or nominees.
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Source: The West Australian by Shannon Hampton