Crown's key witness in Mongols trial grilled by defence on immunity

An officer stands outside a Haukori St, Tauranga, home after it was fired at, allegedly by members of the Mongols gang. Photo / NZME

A key Crown witness has been accused of making up testimony involving Mongols gang members during a grilling while under cross-examination today.

Mongols president Jim Thacker's counsel, Bill Nabney, was finally able to grill the secret witness after almost four days of his evidence in the High Court at Hamilton.

"You desperately wanted to not be responsible for anything. You wanted immunity," Nabney put to key witness in the trial against nine gang members.

"No … I want to see the people that f****d with my family go to jail," he replied.

"You chose to lie about it," Nabney retorted.

"I don't need to lie about it, Sir, I'm very truthful."

Nine Mongols members, including Thacker – known as "JD", "Jack Daniels", or "the Cap", and vice president Hone Ronaki are defending 118 charges related to drug dealing and supply, firearms, aggravated robbery, and money laundering.

The other defendants are South Island president Jason Ross, 46, sergeant at arms Leon "the wolf" Huritu, 39, Kelly Petrowski, 28, Matthew Ramsden, 45, Kane Ronaki, 24, Te Reneti Tarau, 26, and a 28-year-old man with interim name suppression.

The accused are either "office holders", members, or associates of the Mongols from around the country, including Hawke's Bay, Christchurch, and Auckland.

Nabney began cross-examination with the secret witness being granted immunity in exchange for information on how the gang worked, highlighting the man's "lenient" charges as part of the police sting, Operation Silk.

The witness was arrested on June 15, 2020, and Nabney put it to him that a detective wanted to speak to him that day.

The witness instead replied that he was put in a holding cell and hadn't "directly" mentioned he would help.

He agreed with Nabney that police would need a "fair bit of information" to grant him immunity and said after an incident at his house involving his partner and Mongols on the day of his arrest, he would speak freely.

Nabney put it to the witness that he was expected to give evidence about people, including Thacker, and if he didn't, he would lose immunity.

"I didn't know you would lose immunity. I just got offered immunity and went with it."

"But you had to name people, including Mr Thacker?"

"Yep," the witness replied.

However, the witness said he didn't elaborate on any information prior to being granted electronically monitored bail on August 4, 2020.

Nabney put it to him that his reference to a name on the side of a van, TCB, was Taking Care of Bikes and his alternative suggestion of Taking Care of Business was a lie and something to "give a bit more impact to the jury", to which he responded, "no, I don't have to make anything up".

A car blasted with bullet holes parked at a Haukore St, home. Photo / Sandra Conchie

"It's completely honest and true."

As for his involvement in drug seizures, Nabney pressed him about earlier testimony where he said he'd seen stories in the New Zealand Herald about drugs.

"I get the impression that you are an avid newspaper reader?" Nabney asked.

"That would be one hell of an assumption," he replied.

Nabney questioned him about a blue container being seized and reading about it in the Herald.

"Do you look at the Herald regularly?"

"From time to time," he replied, stating if he saw a story of interest he would read it.

Nabney pressed him on his reading about drug seizure stories that involved photos supplied by police.

"Police love to make sure they get photos of seizures over the years."

"There's so many … anybody who reads the paper would have seen articles about drug seizures."

He also admitted he'd joined the Filthy Few in Tauranga, as a prospect, just prior to the Mongols due to being attracted to the motorbikes.

"It was something new to me. It was the motorbikes and all that, that caught my attention."

"The Filthy Few had motorbikes?" Nabney asked.

"Hell yeah," he said.

Nabney also put to him that he didn't travel to Auckland for methamphetamine, rather only for Thacker's cocaine.

"And meth," he replied.

"Did he share it with you?" Nabney asked

"Yeah, he would give me a little bit … but he would rather keep it for himself.

"He was very greedy."

Nabney: "He didn't give a gram or two for you and your Mrs?"

"Maybe once or twice," the witness replied.

Nabney then put to him that he had a "mad" cocaine habit for a while.

"You're very wrong."

Nabney produced a text message he'd sent a friend about how he "had a mad coke habit there for a while, lmao".

The witness responded that he "wouldn't call it a mad habit".

"I was probably over-emphasising what I was meaning … I was talking to a friend."