By Brendan Rees
A man associated with the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang who bashed a man at his Hampton Park home – while another struck him with a tyre iron – has been jailed.
Nathan Martinow was sentenced to the County Court of Victoria on 26 May to three years and eight months in jail after pleading to aggravated burglary and intentionally cause injury.
In her sentencing remarks, Judge Susan Pullen said Martinow, 42, was among four Finks members who had “barged” through the door and attacked Nicholas Gold while he was at his Hampton Park home with his partner and father about noon on 9 September, 2018 – in retaliation for semi-naked photos posted on Facebook of Tara Egglestone, an associate of bikie henchman Brent ‘BJ’ Reker.
In her remarks, Judge Pullen said the orders for the attack came from Reker who, the day before, was recorded saying to Egglestone through a listening device planted in his car by police: “He’s getting sorted, yeah … he’s gonna get publicly humiliated”.
“(He) will never walk again, he’ll be in a wheelchair, he’ll be dead alright?” Reker was heard saying, the court heard.
The listening devices were part of Victoria Police Echo Taskforce’s investigation into drug trafficking.
Upon entering a bedroom and finding Mr Gold, Judge Pullen said Martinow “pushed and punched” Mr Gold in the mouth.
The mob – who were of “big build covered in tattoos” – then demanded Mr Gold say who had created the racy Facebook page.
When Mr Gold said he “didn’t know”, the co-accused Corey Wanakore-Moeke smashed Mr Gold in the face with a tyre iron as he lay next to a bed, Judge Pullen said.
Judge Pullen said she accepted Martinow wasn’t aware of the tyre iron and that “it had been produced subsequently”.
At one point a man told Mr Gold’s father: “Luckily you’re here or otherwise your son would be dead, he’s done some bad things” – while another said “let’s blow his knee caps out and kill the girl,” referring to Nicholas Gold, the judge said.
The court was told the mob left but made threats to the victim that if he reported the incident to police “we’ll kill ya missus and your kids too”.
Meanwhile, Judge Pullen said, two police officers, who had sat in a marked car at the front of the property after being assigned to the area, attempted to follow Martinow’s car, a burnt-orange Holden Commodore sedan, as the men fled the scene but lost sight of it shortly after.
Mr Gold was subsequently treated at hospital for bruising, abrasions, haemorrhage to the eye area, swelling and pain.
Martinow drove to South Australia, his home state, but was arrested upon his return to Victoria when he visited a bikie mate in jail.
Judge Pullen said Martinow, who has three children to different partners, was born in Adelaide and had struggled with high school in terms of concentration and social interaction.
After leaving school he worked various labouring jobs but a workplace injury in 2009 left him unable to work for two years.
In sentencing, Judge Pullen said while his admission of guilt was “some evidence of remorse … I must also consider the need to protect member of the community from you and bear in mind the likelihood of your reoffending – that concerns me.”
