'Outlaws' guilty of killing Hell's Angel

Members of rival gang convicted of murdering 'Gentleman Gerry'

(PA)

Two members of the Outlaws biker gang have been found guilty of murdering a rival Hell's Angel who was shot dead on the M40 after a biker festival last year.

Simon Turner, 41, from Nuneaton, and Dane Garside, 42, from Coventry, were convicted of shooting Gerry Tobin as he rode home from the Bulldog Bash event near Stratford-Upon-Avon last August. The two men were also found guilty of a firearms charge.

Tobin, a 35-year-old Canadian who worked as a mechanic and lived with his girlfriend in Mottingham, south-east London, was killed by one shot to the back of the head on 12 August last year as he drove home at about 90mph.

He had driven nearly 30 miles from Long Marston, south Warwickshire, near where the festival is held, and was shot dead close to Warwick services, where he had earlier been pictured smiling on close circuit television.

Sean Creighton, 44, of Coventry, has already admitted murder but verdicts have not been delivered on four other men also accused of murder.

Karl Garside, 45, Malcolm Bull, 53, Dean Taylor, 47, and 46-year-old Ian Cameron have all pleaded not guilty to murder and firearms charges.

Turner had claimed in court that he was at a workshop in Coventry at the time of the killing but was unanimously convicted of possessing two shotguns which were found in Warwick after the murder.

Dane Garside is also accused of possessing guns but a verdict on that charge has yet to be returned. He admitted during the eight-week trial that he was the driver of the Rover car from which Tobin was shot but denied that he played any role in the killing.

The trial at Birmingham Crown Court was told that Tobin was targeted by members of the rival Outlaws gang simply because he was a "fully patched" Hell's Angel, the highest stage of membership.

Witnesses claimed that a Rover car came alongside Tobin before two shots were fired. One hit Tobin in the head, killing him instantly, while the other hit his motorbike.

Following the verdicts, Mr Justice Treacy sent the jury back out to continue its deliberations, which have so far taken more than 21 hours. The judge also told the jury that he would accept a majority verdict.

Tobin, who was known by friends as "Gentlemen Gerry", was thought to be a senior member of the London Chapter of the Hell's Angels.

In September of last year, a little over a month after his death, about 3,000 bikers from across Europe gathered for Tobin's funeral, driving a13-mile route from their London clubhouse in Dawson Street, east London.

Among the Hell's Angels' rivals, the Outlaws are thought to have the biggest presence in the UK, with about 200 members. They were formed in Illinois, America, in 1935. Their slogan is "God forgives, Outlaws don't."