Ex-Hells Angel testifies at clubhouse forfeiture trial
Before he became a member of the Hells Angels, David Atwell says his criminal activity was “minimal” and involved a “couple of assaults, some drug use.”
“But as a full-patch Hells Angel, I was able to buy kilos of cocaine without being questioned why and where it was going,” Atwell told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Barry Davies on Tuesday.
Atwell, who first became involved in the notorious motorcycle club at Toronto in late 1999 and from 2005-07 acted as a police agent targeting the club, was testifying at a trial in which the B.C. director of civil forfeiture is seeking to take over three Hells Angel clubhouses in B.C.
In addition to the drug-trafficking activities he engaged in, he told the judge that when he joined the club, which he described as a “very unique and elite group,” he no longer had to wait in line to get into a bar and seldom had to pay for a drink.
“I had girls interested in me that otherwise wouldn’t be interested in me. Very pretty, well-put-together ladies. Kind of miss that part.”
Atwell, who signed a deal with the director to testify honestly about his dealings with the Hells Angels in exchange for being paid $75,000, was asked by Stephen King, a lawyer for the director, to describe in detail the Hells Angels’ clubhouse in Toronto.
He said the building was a brick structure with metal doors and featured windows on the main level that were bricked in. There were cameras pointing down from above the front door with a monitor inside to see who was at the front door, as well as cameras mounted on the neighbouring buildings, he said.
Five or six pillars located outside the clubhouse were installed to prevent law enforcement from using vehicles to breach the entrance to the clubhouse, he added.
“The whole fortification of the clubhouse is to keep the police out or to add to their time trying to gain access,” said Atwell, who was testifying by video from an undisclosed and remote location. Inside the courtroom, screens were put in place to block the public-gallery’s view of the video screen.
A publication ban imposed by the judge prevents reporting information that might identify Atwell, including his current name and employment, as well as his city of residence.
Atwell said that there was always someone at the Toronto clubhouse and while he was acting as a police agent, the “mechanism” of the drug deals happened at the clubhouse.
“It’s a secure environment, almost like a sanctuary. There was a lot of covert conversations in the clubhouse that took place.”
He said inside the clubhouse there was disclosure from previous court cases, transcripts from individuals who had been witnesses at trials as well as photos, including a photo of a police agent that had been circulated by the club.
On a computer there was information about club members who had been arrested and members who were out on bail, he said.
Lawyers for the club objected to the relevance and the potential prejudice of Atwell’s testimony about the Toronto clubhouse, but the judge overruled those objections.
Earlier, Atwell told the judge that he is in the witness-protection program and that his life was in peril. “The $75,000 is a small compensation for exposing me to the courts,” he said.
Atwell’s testimony is expected to continue Wednesday.
The trial opened last week in a case that began in November 2007 when the police raided the Hells Angels’ Nanaimo clubhouse, with the clubhouse becoming the subject of the first forfeiture action. In 2012, the director filed lawsuits seeking forfeiture of the East End and Kelowna clubhouses as well.
The director is arguing that the clubhouses should be seized because they would likely be used to commit crimes if the club is allowed to maintain control of them. VAN01278356_1_1