Bra Boys link to assault
BAIL has been granted for an associate of the infamous Bra Boys crime gang accused of punching a man so hard he needed titanium plates in his jaw.
Allen Horsfield, 27, was allegedly drinking at the Komune Beach Club at Coolangatta with his brother Tyrone Horsfield on October 15 when they were approached by club patron Matthew Guest.
Allen Horsfield appeared in the Southport Magistrates Court yesterday after being extradited from NSW yesterday. He is charged with grievous bodily harm.
Allen Horsfield, a heavily tattooed, large man, denies the allegations and his lawyer says the case is open to an argument of acting in defence of his brother.
Police allege Tyrone Horsfield pushed Mr Guest into the pool after taking offence at a comment.
When Mr Guest got out of the pool he allegedly grabbed Tryone Horsfield by the shirt.
It is alleged Allen Horsfield intervened, pushed Mr Guest to the ground from behind and punched him five times in the head.
The court was told the injuries were so severe Mr Guest needed a titanium plate inserted in his jaw.
Allen Horsfield had “recorded dealings and associations” with the Bra Boys, a NSW criminal gang which centres around surf culture, according to documents provided to the court. They came to prominence when actor Russell Crowe narrated a documentary about the gang in 2007.
During the hearing, Horsfield’s barrister Marty Longhurst, instructed by Moloney MacCallum Abdelshahied Lawyers, took aim at a police objection to bail document filed before the court.
He said the document referred to a “king hit” but the facts outlined in the same document pointed out Horsfield had stepped in after his brother got into a tussle with Mr Guest.
Mr Longhurst described the bail objection as “misrepresentative or at least disingenuous” and designed “to keep (Allen Horsfield) in custody”.
Magistrate Pamela Dowse agreed. “I do think the circumstances in the objection to bail have been embellished and exaggerated,” she said.
Ms Dowse granted Allen Horsfield bail on the condition he report to police regularly, not leave Australia and not contact any witnesses.
The matter will return to court on Tuesday.