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 Lance Whitnall
In statements tendered to Melbourne Magistrates Court on March 1, 2007,
Carlton Football Club's fledgling captain Lance Whitnall said his family was at
war.
Whitnall accused his brother and sister-in-law of making death threats and
threatening to "bomb the house" of his wife's mother.
The war began in late January after his brother Shane - angry
that his children were not taken on an extended-family outing to the zoo -
called Lance's wife Rhiannon a "selfish bitch".
But ill feelings quickly escalated. When Lance was appointed captain of
the AFL club in February, the response from Shane was hardly one of
congratulations. "Get fucked," were the words that ended an
abusive telephone message, Lance told police.
It was when the content of a further series of abusive text messages
extended to threats to blow up the home of Lance's mother-in-law that the
footballer finally contacted police.
 This led to six Australian Federal Police officers taking Shane and his
wife Tammy (left) from Melbourne airport to Broadmeadows police station, in
Melbourne's north, after the couple returned from an interstate
holiday.
The court was also told that Shane - who appeared before magistrate
Lesley Fleming wearing a football jersey bearing the slogan
"Raging Bull", had received threatening text messages himself.
One message, which Shane and Tammy released outside the court, reads:
"My dad knows hit man and I can get you taken out".
"When I've finished with you, the only place you'll be going is the
morgue in a bodybag," read another.
 A
text message allegedly sent from Lance's mobile phone to Tammy and seen by the
Herald Sun says: "You just shut the fuck up or I'll get someone to shut you
up for good."
On June 25, 2005,
Brendan Schievella, a man
known to have links with several members of the underworld, was drinking at
the Ivanhoe Hotel with Whitnall when a group of men, some
wearing Hells Angels colours, walked in and abducted him.
Two other Carlton
footballers, Nick Stevens and Heath Scotland,
were drinking with Whitnall and Schievella in the upstairs Ruebar when the incident
happened.
It is believed the
players said they were associates of the victim but did not consider
him a close friend.
They said they had
no idea why he was attacked and abducted. Witnesses said the man was
beaten and then forced into a car and driven away.
The badly beaten
victim was taken to the Austin Hospital the next day.
Doctors had to
amputate one of his toes, which was mangled - probably with a set of
bolt cutters.
Brendan
Schievella's uncle, Thomas
Schievella, Dennis
William Smith and Kerry
Ashford were arrested for dealing drugs out of a Campbellfield trucking yard
in October 1986.
Smith
was charged with trafficking cocaine and cannabis valued at about
$500,000.
After one of his team, Peter James Cross, gave evidence
against him, Smith
was sentenced in the County Court to a maximum of 11 years' jail.
Ashford was sentenced to 10 years with a minimum of eight,
Schievella got eight years with a minimum of six.
Thomas Schievella's
brother Mike "Lucky" Schievella, 44, and partner, Heather
McDonald, 36, were murdered in their St Andrews home in 1990.
The pair, who were known
drug dealers, were bound and their throats slashed.
The murders have never
been solved.
On
August 16, 2007, a court heard two bikies and their mate kidnapped a man and dangled him
off a bridge in Ivanhoe during a scary five-hour
campaign.
Raymond Joseph Hamment,
Andrew Hinton and Paul Petersen and their victim were
thrown out of the Rue Bar at the Ivanhoe Hotel after a
bloody confrontation on June 25, 2005.
The County Court was
told they dumped Brendan Schievella in a Brunswick
street five hours after he was snatched about
midnight.
Hamment, 39, of
Greensborough, Petersen, 31, of Bundoora, and Hinton,
37, of Diamond Creek, have not revealed what happened
to Mr Schievella after he was bundled into a white ute.
He was found in a
street in Brunswick and taken to the Alfred hospital.
Crown prosecutor David
Ross, QC, said the victim had no bikie links, and the
trio's motive was a mystery to police.
Mr Ross said they
assaulted Mr Schievella in the bar, and he tried to
escape as the bashing continued in the street.
The court was told Mr
Schievella was held and hung 8m above the ground from
a walkway on Upper Heidelberg Rd.
Hinton was not a Hells
Angels member but was associated with the club through
his friendship with Hamment, barrister John Saunders
said.
Hamment, Petersen, and
Hinton -- who has been in custody for much of the past
three years -- pleaded guilty to four charges each of
conduct endangering life, intentionally causing
serious injury, false imprisonment, and rioting.
Justice Geoffrey
Chettle said the bar's patrons would have been
terrified by the three men.
"No doubt they
desired to scare the living daylights out of
him," Justice Chettle said.
Damien Sheales, for
Petersen, said his client had not told him if he was
still a Hells Angels member.
"The organisation
is not on trial," he said.
Mr Sheales said
Petersen had a stable work and family life, and
suburban aspirations.
Defence lawyer Paul
Marin said there was no evidence Hamment assaulted Mr
Schievella in the bar. He said Hamment was told by
hotel security to cover his Hells Angels vest when he
entered.
On
August 21, 2007, Hamment, Hinton and
Petersen were sentenced to jail.
County
Court Judge Geoffrey Chettle
described the assault on Brendan
Schiavella as severe and said
the three men had terrified their victim
and alarmed bar patrons.
"You
arrogantly and brazenly committed these
crimes and were prepared to challenge
anyone, including security, who
confronted you," Judge Chettle
said.
All three
men pleaded guilty to counts of riot,
intentionally causing injury, reckless
conduct endangering life and false
imprisonment.
Hamment was sentenced to
30 months' jail with a minimum of 20
months, as was Petersen.
Hinton, will serve at
least 16 months in jail.
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