Seven members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang were jailed today for life for murdering a Hell's Angel.

The entire South Warwickshire chapter of the Outlaws was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court after being convicted of shooting Gerry Tobin as he rode along the M40 on August 12 last year.Seven members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang were jailed today for life for murdering a Hell's Angel.Two shots were fired at the 35-year-old biker from two different handguns as he returned to his London home from the Hell's Angel Bulldog Bash festival in Warwickshire.One of the bullets skimmed the base of Mr Tobin's helmet, lodging in his skull and killing him instantly.During the seven weeks of evidence, the jury was told that the mechanic was targeted by the rival gang simply because he was a "fully-patched" Hell's Angel.Rivalry between the gangs originated in the late 1960s when a series of brutal murders took place in north America.Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was given a minimum term of 30 years for murder and two firearms offences.Coventry man Dane Garside, 42, received a minimum 27 years for the same charges.Sean Creighton, 44, from Coventry, will spend a minimum of 28 years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to murder and two firearms charges.Malcolm Bull, 53, from Milton Keynes, was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison for murder and possessing a shotgun.Dean Taylor, 47, from Coventry, will spend at least 30 years in prison for the same charges.Karl Garside, 45, from Coventry, was given at least 26 years and Ian Cameron, 46, also from Coventry, received at least 25 years for murder.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Treacy told the defendants: "This was an appalling murder. A totally innocent man was executed with a firearm in broad daylight on a busy motorway for no reason other than that he belonged to a different motorcycle club than yours."Gerry Tobin was a person with his own work life, his own social life, his own private life, none of these lives, which he enjoyed, was entitled to continue to enjoy, in any way impinged upon your lives."Gerry Tobin was a decent man of good character."He was a total stranger to you."The utter pointlessness of what you did makes his murder more shocking."Mr Justice Treacy described how the life of Mr Tobin's fiancee, 26-year-old Rebecca Smith, had been "utterly changed" by their actions.He said: "She had hoped to marry him, have a family life with him, to have children with him."

He added that Mr Tobin's parents had found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that their only son had been "cold-bloodedly executed".

The judge added: "None of you has showed the remotest feeling, consideration or remorse for what you did.
"This dreadful crime, in my judgment, falls into a particularly high category of seriousness because it involved the use of a firearm and because of its cold-blooded and ruthless nature."He said the "scouting" carried out by the defendants was done with "murder in your hearts".About 100 members of the Outlaws motorcycle gang waited outside while the sentencing hearing took place.Dozens of armed police officers patrolled the court precinct.During the trial against six of the defendants, the jury was told that Creighton and Turner, the gang's president and sergeant-at-arms, were in a Rover car when they pulled up alongside Mr Tobin's Harley-Davidson and opened fire.The court heard that the fatal shot was fired as both Mr Tobin and the two gunmen sped along the M40 at about 90mph.The shooting followed three days of "scouting" by all seven men.Dane Garside, a lorry driver and father of seven, was at the wheel of the Rover and manoeuvred the vehicle so that the fatal shot could be fired.Three other defendants - Karl Garside, Taylor and Cameron - acted as "back-up" on the day of the murder, patrolling the M40 in a white Range Rover.Bull, driving a Renault Laguna, was also in the area when Mr Tobin fell victim to the "military-style" operation.Mobile telephone evidence proved that the occupants of the Rover contacted the "units" in the Range Rover and the Renault and ordered them to stand down moments after the murder.All seven men returned to the Coventry area and the Rover was set alight in a country lane north of the city.At the beginning of the hearing, the court was told that police received intelligence of a possible attack on Malcolm Bull while he was inside the dock.
The judge ruled that all seven defendants must be handcuffed as he passed sentence.Opening the case against Creighton, who pleaded guilty on the first day of the nine-week trial, Timothy Raggatt QC told the court his plea had been had been a "tactical" one.He said Creighton, accepted by the court as the gunman who fired the fatal shot, had been disguising his appearance in the days leading up to the killing.
When police arrested him in Coventry on August 22 last year, a dummy was recovered - believed to have been used for target practice, the court heard.Mr Raggatt said: "It may not be that it was a matter of chance that the shot that killed Mr Tobin, if it was fired by Creighton, was not just a lucky shot - it may have been a shot he had been practising for some time."
He added that Creighton, thought to be the president of the South Warwickshire chapter of the Outlaws, was "a central figure and a leading light", both in the motorbike gang and the murder plot."This was a meticulously planned operation and central to this planning was Mr Creighton," he said.Mr Raggatt said Mr Tobin, from Mottingham, south London, was "beyond question an innocent victim", adding: "Mr Tobin has been described in some quarters recently as Gentleman Gerry. That is a fair description.
"Mr Tobin was a man of good character in a positive sense and all of those who gave statements who knew him attested to that fact.
"He was not only an obvious target but an easy target in the sense that he was not surrounded, as some might have been, by his colleagues.
"He was in that sense not only a prime target but also a soft target."

Rebels Club President, 39-year-old Nickolas Martin and Sergeant At Arms of the Rebels, 43-year-old Errol Munro made no application for bail.

Rebels Club President, 39-year-old Nickolas Martin and Sergeant At Arms of the Rebels, 43-year-old Errol Munro made no application for bail. They appeared on charges including causing grievous bodily harm and deprivation of liberty.
They were remanded in custody to appear at a later date. Police arrested six people, including four members of the motorcyle gang, following a lengthy investigation into the club's activities.

Dean Taylor, 47, was found guilty by a unanimous verdict of killing biker Gerry Tobin of Mottingham,

Dean Taylor, 47, was found guilty by a unanimous verdict of killing biker Gerry Tobin of Mottingham, south-east London, who was shot dead on the M40 motorway in Warwickshire in August last year.The jury at Birmingham Crown Court, which is still considering the case against two other men accused of murder, also found Taylor guilty of possessing a shotgun.The Crown alleged that Taylor, a divorcee who ran a motorcycle supplies outlet in Coventry, took part in "scouting" for a target prior to the fatal shooting.He told the court that he knew nothing about the murder and had refused to speak to police because of "club rules".Jurors, who have been deliberating for seven days, have already convicted three other members of the Outlaws biker gang of the murder of mechanic Mr Tobin.Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and Dane Garside, a 42-year-old from Coventry, were found guilty of the killing and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life on Monday.Malcolm Bull, a 53-year-old road sweeper from Milton Keynes, was found guilty of murder and possessing a shotgun on Tuesday.The remaining defendants, who each deny murder and possessing a shotgun, are Karl Garside, 45, and Ian Cameron, 46, both from Coventry.Mr Tobin died almost instantly when he was shot as he rode along the M40 at about 90mph on August 12 last year. The trial has been told that he was targeted simply because he was a "fully-patched" Hells Angel by members of the Outlaws' South Warwickshire chapter. A seventh defendant, 44-year-old Coventry man Sean Creighton, pleaded guilty to murder and firearms charges before the trial began.

Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, and Dane Garside, found guilty today of murdering a Hell's Angel who was shot dead on the M40.

Two members of a biker gang were found guilty today of murdering a Hell's Angel who was shot dead on the M40. Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, and Dane Garside, a 42-year-old from Coventry, were also convicted by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. The jury is still considering its verdicts on four other men who deny murdering Gerry Tobin, who was shot in the head near Warwick Services in August last year. Turner, who told the court that he was at a workshop in Coventry at the time of the killing, was also unanimously convicted of possessing two shotguns which were found in the city following the murder.
Garside admitted during the eight-week trial that he was the driver of the Rover car from which Mr Tobin was shot, but denied playing any role in the killing. Mr Tobin, a mechanic from Mottingham, south east London, was returning from the Bulldog Bash bikers' festival when he was shot as he travelled along the M40 at around 90mph on 12 August last year. The trial has been told he was targeted simply because he was a "fully patched" Hell's Angel by members of the rival Outlaws motorcycle gang.

cleared a Hells Angels member and a club prospect still face conspiracy charges that could result in life sentences

cleared a Hells Angels member and a club prospect of attempted murder charges, both men have been freed from jail.But they still face conspiracy charges that could result in life sentences if convicted. Their lawyer Friday lashed out at prosecutors for pursuing those charges, calling the plan "despicable."Hells Angel Chad Wilson, 33, of San Diego, and prosect John Midmore, 35, of Valparaiso, Ind., were found not guilty of attempted murder in the Aug. 8, 2006, shootings of five members of the rival Outlaws at Custer State Park.One day after the verdict was read, little is known about the jury members involved in the trial. They will remain anonymous because of a new law that went into effect Nov. 1. And while the feud between the Hells Angels and Outlaws probably will continue, it's unlikely to resurface at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally again, law enforcement officers say.Prosecutors said they still plan to try both men on a more serious charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, which carries a punishment of life in prison if convicted. Lawyers have until Dec. 10 to submit legal briefs on whether that would be double jeopardy.
Defense lawyer David Kenner said if there's no attempted murder, there can be no conspiracy."I think this is a despicable act by the state," he said of the decision to keep the charge alive.Wilson also has an immigration hold and probably will be deported to Canada, said Custer County State's Attorney Tracy Kelley, one of the prosecutors in the case.The Outlaws and the Hells Angels have long been rivals and have violently clashed several times. Thursday's verdict in Sioux Falls probably will not change that, said Robert Boland, resident agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Sioux Falls."I can't predict the future, but I don't anticipate this is the end of anything between these two groups," he said.But South Dakota and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally would be unlikely locations for further violence between the two gangs, Boland said. Violence is more apt to occur in places where the two gangs have overlapping territory, he said.
"These two groups don't claim (South Dakota) as part of their territory," Boland said.Since March 2006, violence between the Hells Angels and Outlaws has escalated, mostly because of the expansion of Outlaws' activity in states controlled by the Hells Angels, according to an FBI intelligence bulletin issued a few months before the Custer State Park shootings.The bulletin, filed in a federal court case, said "a potential war" may be developing between the two groups.It also singled out the 2006 Sturgis Rally as a possible site for violence."The two most significant upcoming summer events that could lead to violence are the HAMC World Run in July 2006 and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August 2006," the bulletin states.Wilson and Midmore's case also was unusual among the two groups because the Outlaws are infrequent participants at Sturgis rallies, Boland said. The Outlaws have shown up in significant numbers only twice, in 1990 and 2006, he said. The FBI report said leaders of the Outlaws ordered members to attend Sturgis in 2006, threatening them with $500 fines and possible demotions in rank if they didn't show up.Most years, though, the Outlaws "don't typically come out west anyway," Boland said. "We don't anticipate them coming back anytime soon."The Hells Angels, however, regularly have a large presence at the rally, he said.
"We have concerns about the Hells Angels all the time. That's a constant," Boland said.If jurors felt intimidated, rule keeps that a secretA new rule that took effect Nov. 1 will protect the identities of jurors who acquitted the men in the Sioux Falls trial.From the start, prospective jurors in the case expressed fear of revenge.
During jury selection, one prospective juror expressed concerns whether "one or the other gangs would take revenge on jurors. Another said "They, I'm sure, stick together. They might seek revenge."However, the new rule may have a downside as well. Without knowing who the jurors are, it's not possible to find answers to a key question: Did fear of retaliation influence their decision?The South Dakota Supreme Court this year decided that all records created during jury selections should be closed to the public unless the trial judge rules otherwise. The rule was partly the result of concerns about identity theft and fears of someone trying to embarrass jurors for the way they answered questions.
Judge Gene Kean on Friday denied an Argus Leader request for names of the jurors in the biker trial, said Court Administrator Karl Thoennes.

Hells Angels attempted murder trial brought nearly two dozen motorcycle club members into a Sioux Falls courtroom

The bikers are gone but at its peak, the Hells Angels attempted murder trial brought nearly two dozen motorcycle club members into a Sioux Falls courtroom. It also brought extra security to the Minnehaha County Courthouse.
And, even with the not guilty verdict, the Sheriff is calling the case a success.
When Hells Angels members swarmed the Minnehaha County courthouse, Sheriff Mike Milstead prepared for the worst. Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead says, "We always knew that if nothing happens we probably did too much. If something happened, somebody would probably say we didn't do enough, but I think we did the right level." On any given day Milstead says 12 different agencies were present in and around the courthouse in uniform and undercover. All the extra metal detectors, officers and patrols were all part of the plan to keep the peace.
Milstead says, "I wouldn't want to get into exactly how many there were, but I will say that you saw some of them, but not all of them. Certainly we were geared up as we felt appropriate to make sure that we'd have a safe environment for a trial."
Now that the trial is over, Milstead says his deputies and local law enforcement can learn from the security lockdown. Milstead says, "We've had a good experience here in operating certain systems and certain plans, and I think it will be beneficial for us in the long run." As for how much the three week trial cost the county, Milstead says they're still totaling up those bills. But, because the case was moved from Custer county all of the overtime, jail expenses and court costs will be sent to Custer county.

Miller rides with the Redliners,fight then complete and total chaos, with men and women running in all directions and people screaming wildly

Belmont man treating his girlfriend to a late-night meal at Faneuil Hall Marketplace was beaten bloody with a hammer by two brawling brutes, one of whom Boston police suspect is a Hells Angel.The scene at the tourist hot spot just before 2 a.m. Sunday was “complete and total chaos, with men and women running in all directions and people screaming wildly,” according to an incident report.
The 28-year-old victim suffered serious head wounds when police say alleged outlaw biker Russell Miller Jr., 21, of Providence and William Giles, 21, of Sandwich, jumped him. In addition to a blood-soaked hammer, investigators recovered an open switchblade.Prosecutors allege Miller and Giles were fighting and fell into the couple as they walked by munching on sausages. When the couple protested, Miller and Giles allegedly turned their wrath on them.Police said Miller was wearing a black leather vest with an “81” patch - “significant,” they said, in identifying Hells Angels because the number 8 corresponds with the letter H, and the number 1 with A.
Miller claimed he rides with the Redliners, a motorcycle gang police said is an affiliate of the Hells Angels.