Bikie charge defended

THE officer who charged one of the state’s top bikies with evading police has told the Hobart Magistrates Court the charge was appropriate and not laid in anger.

Rebels Motorcycle Club Tasmania president Shaun Lee Kelly has pleaded not guilty to evading police on Charles St in Moonah on July 25 last year.

Tasmania Police Sergeant Danny Jackson yesterday told the court he and his partner tried to pull a motorcycle over that he said was being revved excessively.

Sgt Jackson said the officers turned on the police vehicle’s emergency lights and siren.

He said he was “able to see the rider’s eyes looking back at me” in a rear vision mirror on the motorcycle.

He said the motorcycle did a U-turn and he recognised the rider as Shaun Kelly. The court heard Sgt Jackson arrested Mr Kelly at Mr Kelly’s nearby motorcycle business.

“You got out of the [police] car and you told him that he had ‘f … ing done a runner’,” Mr Kelly’s lawyer Fabiano Cangelosi said to Sgt Jackson.

Sgt Jackson agreed and said he swore at Mr Kelly to “show him that this wasn’t going to be something that he [Mr Kelly] was going to ride rough over us”.

“The very reason why the charge was laid was because you were angry,” Mr Cangelosi said.

“It was an appropriate charge, that’s why it was laid,” Sgt Jackson said.

Mr Cangelosi also questioned Sgt Jackson’s memory of seeing the rider’s eyes, suggesting it was “rubbish” and that Mr Kelly was wearing sunglasses at the time.

“I recall seeing his eyes,” Sgt Jackson said.

The hearing, before Magistrate Glenn Hay will resume on August 23.