The murder of notorious former bikie Shane Bowden, who police say was shot "execution style" in his parked car outside his Gold Coast home, could mark a turning point in the way outlaw motorcycle gangs operate.
According to police, Bowden had arrived home from the gym shortly after midnight on Monday morning, when he was ambushed by "at least two men" in the driveway outside his Pimpama home, on the northern Gold Coast.
Police said his partner and two children were home at the time of the attack, and two burnt-out cars found in other parts of the Gold Coast were part of the ongoing investigation.
Detective Superintendent Brendan Smith said Bowden had been shot multiple times "execution style", and that his death was a reminder that "if you live by the sword, you die by the sword".
According to criminology professor Mark Lauchs, that type of death is usually reserved for bikies involved in organised crime, which Bowden was not.
"Normally when there is an execution-style attack like with Mick Hawi … it tends to be involved with organised crime … Bowden doesn't have a history with that at all. His one drug offence is pretty minor, and he is much more of a violent person," Lauchs said.
"If it is associated with the club, it could be a change in the way the clubs are acting, that they're increasing their violence. We've also seen drive-bys in the last year.
"With a drive-by, you don't know if you're going to kill someone. Bowden was shot in a drive-by earlier this year, potentially this was someone finishing the job.
"Internal club conflict tends to be done by drive-bys … They're not designed to kill you, rather to scare you.
"We may never know exactly why Bowden was killed, but there doesn't appear to be any long-term association (with organised crime) … He's spent so long in prison, he hasn't had the chance."
The Mongols have recently elected a new president which Lauchs said could mark a transition in the way the gang operates.
Reports have emerged that Bowden wanted to reassert his power after his release from prison earlier this year, and Lauchs said it was possible his death was a response to him failing to go quietly.
"The Mongols have a new hierarchy … But we might not find out the real reason for a while," he said.
"Things come out slowly in this world … It's a secret world."
Lauchs said despite strict laws introduced in 2013, the bikie gangs "hadn't stopped warring at all" but the death of Bowden was unlikely to be the trigger for a bigger battle.
"It sounds like this was something that followed him … It sounds like the Mongols have settled down" Lauchs said.
"If there's going to be any flow-on effect it will be in Melbourne.
"He might have been trying to get away from it all."
A key member of the Finks "Terror Gang" before he changed his patch to the Mongols, Bowden has lived what Lauchs calls a "crap life".
In a sentencing in 2015, the court heard Bowden had been born to biological parents aged 12 at the time of his birth, and was adopted by a family with siblings much older than him.
Bowden struggled with school and left early, achieving literacy only to a grade 4 level.
He attended the Australian Institute of Sport where he excelled at cycling. Encouraged by his adoptive parents, he applied himself to the sport and was hoping to represent Australia in the 1996 Olympics.
Despite repeated success, Bowden suffered burnout and gave the sport away.
He took up bodybuilding and began frequenting gyms, where he met members of motorcycle clubs, resulting in him becoming a member of Finks.
Bowden spent at least 13 years between 2000 and 2015 in custody, for a variety of offences including serious assaults, drug offences and the equivalent of aggravated burglary.
Bowden was assessed by a neuropsychologist, Dr Robert Burke, and clinical psychologist Carla Lachner. Burke investigated the possibility of an acquired brain injury, and could not rule it out. He diagnosed extreme depression and impaired cognitive function.
Bowden's first criminal stamp was in July 1996, when he was found with stolen property in his possession. He was convicted and fined A$800. In February 1997, Bowden assaulted a woman, was convicted of aggravated assault, and was fined and ordered to pay restitution.
In 1997, a covert police operation was run on Bowden, where he was found trafficking cocaine with a total amount of 23.409 pure grams. He was convicted of 21 offences, including some he had committed while on bail, and sentenced to a total of eight years.
In 2005, he was convicted of assaulting a patron outside a Gold Coast nightclub. He was given a suspended sentence of nine months and ordered to pay A$12,500 compensation.
He is most well known for his involvement in the 2006 Ballroom Blitz, when Finks members attacked former member Chris Hudson who had patched over to the Hells Angels. At least eight Finks were sent to punish Hudson for leaving the club.
Lauchs said the group were "supposed to remove Hudson's Finks tattoo from his back with acid and a paint scraper".
Bowden shot Hudson twice during the melee.
Bowden handed himself in to police a month later and was charged with attempted murder of Hudson, resulting in him being sentenced to 6.5 years for assault occasioning bodily harm and resulted in him being listed as a serious violent offender.
Most Finks patched over to the Mongols before tough VLAD laws were introduced in Queensland in 2013. The laws, introduced under the Newman government, were designed to stamp out criminal bikie activity. Bowden, like many others, left the state to seek refuge in Melbourne.
In 2015, Bowden and his then-girlfriend were convicted of a home invasion after the pair broke into a Melbourne apartment, armed with a Bowie knife and crowbar. He demanded money from the two men and women inside. Bowden assaulted one of the men before a scuffle broke out and he stabbed both men.
He was sentenced to prison, and, while there, was found with a "racy photograph" of a prison guard.
He was released in prison in July 2020, where he was met by senior Mongols, including new president Toby Mitchell, who escorted him back to Melbourne in a stretch limousine.
Fifteen days after his release, he was shot in a drive-by attack. Bowden was wounded while talking to two men in the driveway of a Young St home in Epping. Police said shots were fired from a car, striking Bowden in the lower torso.
Bowden was then kicked out of the Mongols, and appears to have been attacked as part of "internal politics of the club", Lauchs said.
"Sources said the hit was organised to 'silence' Bowden and to 'put him in his place' by opposing members of the gang.
"He had been trying to regain his power after leaving prison. While he was in prison some of his allies had been forced to leave the club, including national president Mark 'Ferret' Moroney."
While he was recovering from his gunshot wounds in a Melbourne hospital, he contracted Covid-19. After recovering, he left for Queensland, and sparked a media frenzy when it was initially reported he had flown while infectious.
He was accused of lying on his border declaration pass, and fronted the Southport Magistrates Court earlier this month where he was fined just A$750 after the magistrate sided with him, citing confusion over the form.
Investigations into Bowden's death are continuing.
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