AFL bad boy Jake King ‘sick’ of being harassed by police
Mark Buttler & Aneeka Simonis
Herald Sun
Jannuary 22, 2020
Former AFL bad-boy Jake King is “incensed” his tattoo business was entangled in the EastLink murder investigation.
The former Richmond player on Wednesday sat in his City of Ink tattoo parlour and spoke to police as they searched the premises in connection to the November killing.
King’s lawyer, John Gdanski of SLF Lawyers, said King was not a Mongol and that police attention was hurting his business.
Investigators searched the South Melbourne business with a warrant which, among other things, stated it was in relation to firearms.
Mr Gdanski said it was the third time City of Ink had been raided, and each time nothing was found.
“Jake’s sick of it,” Mr Gdanski said.
“It’s getting to the stage of being borderline harassment.
“He is neither a bikie member nor has his parlour anything to do with any other parties allegedly dealing with this investigation.
“He has done nothing wrong and will continue to do nothing wrong or breach any condition of his lease.”
Police did not question King, who bought into the business in 2016 after undertaking a tattooing apprenticeship. The ex-Tiger is a close mate of Mongols strongman Toby Mitchell, who founded the business.
Mitchell’s flat in Southbank was among 12 properties that police raided at dawn.
It is believed that Mitchell, a former Bandidos enforcer, co-operated with police during the search.
After they left, Mitchell met friends for lunch outside the Clarendon St tattoo parlour.
King has found himself on the wrong side of the law since retiring from AFL in 2014.
In 2017, he was charged with extortion and making threats to kill and inflicting serious injury over a $150,000 debt. He was secretly recorded in Crown’s lobby attempting to strongarm the business partner of Hawthorn player Ty Vickery over the debt.
King met Tony Mokdissi to try to retrieve the cash, said to have been “skimmed” from the Hawthorn East restaurant Fat Monkey, which Mr Mokdissi ran with Vickery.
King lost his temper and threatened to break Mr Mokdissi’s legs if he did not pay the debt. He was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty.
He avoided conviction on one charge of threatening to inflict serious injury and another of possessing testosterone. Prosecutors withdrew the extortion and threat to kill charges.
City of Ink was fired at in a drive-by shooting on July 14, 2018.
Police allege Comanchero-linked Mustafa Yuksel and Yahya Aboueid sprayed the parlour with bullets before torching a stolen Hyundai hatchback with a revolver inside.
The bikie associates, both aged 25 at the time, were charged with discharging a firearm at premises, using a firearm in a public place, reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering persons, using a firearm in the commission of an indictable offence, using an unregistered handgun, theft of a motor vehicle, fraudulently using a registration plate and arson.
The pair were released on bail despite objections from police.
Last year strict bail conditions imposed on Mustafa Yuksel were relaxed so he could run his kebab business.
His 9pm curfew was extended to 11.30pm on the nights he worked.
Mr Yuksel and Mr Aboueid will stand trial in the County Court in August this year.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecr...e/news-story/2c2a5fbb994d04b2ce4f41fa0e08c8b2 (paywalled)
Mark Buttler & Aneeka Simonis
Herald Sun
Jannuary 22, 2020
Former AFL bad-boy Jake King is “incensed” his tattoo business was entangled in the EastLink murder investigation.
The former Richmond player on Wednesday sat in his City of Ink tattoo parlour and spoke to police as they searched the premises in connection to the November killing.
King’s lawyer, John Gdanski of SLF Lawyers, said King was not a Mongol and that police attention was hurting his business.
Investigators searched the South Melbourne business with a warrant which, among other things, stated it was in relation to firearms.
Mr Gdanski said it was the third time City of Ink had been raided, and each time nothing was found.
“Jake’s sick of it,” Mr Gdanski said.
“It’s getting to the stage of being borderline harassment.
“He is neither a bikie member nor has his parlour anything to do with any other parties allegedly dealing with this investigation.
“He has done nothing wrong and will continue to do nothing wrong or breach any condition of his lease.”
Police did not question King, who bought into the business in 2016 after undertaking a tattooing apprenticeship. The ex-Tiger is a close mate of Mongols strongman Toby Mitchell, who founded the business.
Mitchell’s flat in Southbank was among 12 properties that police raided at dawn.
It is believed that Mitchell, a former Bandidos enforcer, co-operated with police during the search.
After they left, Mitchell met friends for lunch outside the Clarendon St tattoo parlour.
King has found himself on the wrong side of the law since retiring from AFL in 2014.
In 2017, he was charged with extortion and making threats to kill and inflicting serious injury over a $150,000 debt. He was secretly recorded in Crown’s lobby attempting to strongarm the business partner of Hawthorn player Ty Vickery over the debt.
King met Tony Mokdissi to try to retrieve the cash, said to have been “skimmed” from the Hawthorn East restaurant Fat Monkey, which Mr Mokdissi ran with Vickery.
King lost his temper and threatened to break Mr Mokdissi’s legs if he did not pay the debt. He was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond after pleading guilty.
He avoided conviction on one charge of threatening to inflict serious injury and another of possessing testosterone. Prosecutors withdrew the extortion and threat to kill charges.
City of Ink was fired at in a drive-by shooting on July 14, 2018.
Police allege Comanchero-linked Mustafa Yuksel and Yahya Aboueid sprayed the parlour with bullets before torching a stolen Hyundai hatchback with a revolver inside.
The bikie associates, both aged 25 at the time, were charged with discharging a firearm at premises, using a firearm in a public place, reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering persons, using a firearm in the commission of an indictable offence, using an unregistered handgun, theft of a motor vehicle, fraudulently using a registration plate and arson.
The pair were released on bail despite objections from police.
Last year strict bail conditions imposed on Mustafa Yuksel were relaxed so he could run his kebab business.
His 9pm curfew was extended to 11.30pm on the nights he worked.
Mr Yuksel and Mr Aboueid will stand trial in the County Court in August this year.
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecr...e/news-story/2c2a5fbb994d04b2ce4f41fa0e08c8b2 (paywalled)