Crime
‘They were going to leave him naked in Chadstone’: Teen boy bashed, robbed at shopping centre
A mother says she has lost faith in humanity after four people punched and kicked her 15-year-son at a Chadstone shopping centre food court.
- by Madeleine Heffernan
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Cooks’ Cottage statue toppled in latest attack on Melbourne monuments
A bronze statue dedicated to Captain James Cook was hacked off its plinth this week, a month after two monuments to the British explorer were vandalised.
- by Alex Crowe
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Organised crime
Haddara crime family’s ruthless hold on Melbourne goes up in flames as the tobacco wars hit home
The Haddaras are losing out in the fight for control of the illicit tobacco trade as a challenger emerges with a loyal crew who will stop at nothing.
- by Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola
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New Finks bikie gang boss is son of decorated police officer
Mark Balsillie survived an attempt on his life in 2017 and persuaded a judge in 2022 he would turn his back on the gangster lifestyle, but he is now a bikie boss.
- by Cameron Houston and Marta Pascual Juanola
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Hotties, the must-have accessory for Melbourne’s criminals
“Hotties”, a slang term used by Melbourne’s underworld to describe a stolen car, have become a crucial ingredient in serious criminal offending, whether it’s burning up a tobacco shop or turning a gun on an enemy.
- by David Estcourt and Chris Vedelago
Updated
Organised crime
Wedding venue torched hours after underworld figure’s fight club went up in flames
Taskforce Lunar is investigating whether a fire where “The Punisher” had been scheduled to fight is linked to a second fire in Melbourne’s north.
- by Alex Crowe
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Police warned ‘The Punisher’ of a contract on his head before fires at boxing venues
The former Mongols bikie had been warned by police to limit public appearances and cancel a scheduled boxing match because he was a target for violent retribution.
- by Cameron Houston, Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola
‘Compulsive’: Man fights for secrecy after pleading guilty to child abuse offences
The man is fighting to keep his name secret after admitting in court to sending graphic messages about child abuse on an online chat platform.
- by Erin Pearson
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Deadly jailhouse weapons made from chicken bones, spoon handles and combs
More than 2000 “shivs”, knuckle dusters and bludgeons have been found inside Victoria’s network of 12 prisons over the past five years – a rate of about one weapon a day.
- by Chris Vedelago
Hunt for alleged penguin kickers after St Kilda attack
A witness saved a penguin after it was attacked by a group of men, who kicked the defenceless bird at a tram stop in St Kilda.
- by Hannah Kennelly
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Luxury car escort for suspected lieutenant in tobacco fire war
A Rolls-Royce and a Lamborghini greeted Majid Alibadi, accused of being a “regional operations manager” in the tobacco wars as he walked free from custody on more than a dozen charges.
- by Chris Vedelago and Marta Pascual Juanola