Damage to bikes alleged

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33424, 4 January 1974, Page 2

Damage to bikes alleged

Several members of bikie gangs released from custody in Christchurch yesterday alleged that their motor-cycles had been damaged between the time of their arrest and the time of their release. There were looks of disgust, dismay and bitterness as the bikies examined their most-prized possessions. They said that some of their machines were worth about $lOOO each “My bike’s half-pie ruined.” <aid Alistair Mackie, of Dunedin. “When I was arrested it was only six weeks old. Now look at it. The headlight’s smashed, the tank’s dented and the seat’s ripped.’’ he said. One bikie said that th*'

damage must have been done when the police confiscated the motor-cycles after the 81 bikies were arrested, at Kerrs Road on Sunday evening. Another said that he thought the police had no right to take the bikes from private property. A Dunedin youth said that two others from Dunedin who had been granted bail earlier in the week had freighted their motor-cycles by train because they were too damaged to ride. Another said that the motor-cycles were “piled high” on a flat-deck truck on Sunday evening and brought to the police station yard. He pointed to where the handlebars from one of the motor-cycles had ripped holes in the leather of the seat after being bent. Asked to comment on the damage, Chief Inspector R. <

P. Silk said that some of the damage might have been caused when the youths ran out of the house on Sunday evening. “When they came out of the house they went over the tops of the bikes and were knocking them over. A lot of damage was also done when they threw bottles and bricks at the party,” said Chief Inspector Silk. “When the motor-cycles were uplifted they were given the due care given to all property that is uplifted after persons are arrested.” COLD SHOWER The youths were also bitter about their experience in the police cells. Alistair Mackie said that they were not allowed to exercise for the first 60 hours in custody; after that they were allowed two 10miriute walks. Also, there iwere three defendants to a

;cell which was built for one. “We had two showers. The first one was for seven minutes and was in freezing cold water. The second one was all right. The grub was pretty good really, but you could only have one lot of sugar a day,” he said. “NOT ON STREET” Stephen Holliss, who described himself as president of the Epitaph motor-cycle club, complained that wiring had been pulled out and spark-plug leads damaged on some of the machines. “Exhaust pipes were damaged, paint was scratched, and clutch cables were damaged. The bikes would have been better if they had been left where they were. They were all inside the property at Kerrs Road, they were not on the street. Quite a few guys who were not arrested would have looked after :them,” he said.