Fourteen patched Filthy Few members who admitted their roles in unlawful recent stand-off with rivals from the Greasy Dogs in Matapihi have each been fined $500 plus $132.89 court costs and must have their gang patches seized by police returned to them.
The 14 defendants were sentenced in Tauranga District Court
today after early pleading guilty to a joint charge of unlawful assembly - which carries a maximum penalty of a year's imprisonment.
Police were first alerted to the gang tensions about 11.30am on February 5 after the Filthy Few members, wearing gang patches, rode motorcycles into Matapihi - an area known to be occupied by Greasy Dogs members.
After the Filthy Few members became involved in an altercation with a Greasy Dogs member on the roadside, members of the public called police. Because no assault charges were laid, Judge Louis Bidois he refused to order the forfeiture of the gang patches which had been sought by police.
Thirteen Greasy Dogs members also charged with unlawful assembly are yet to enter pleas and are due back in court next Monday.
