Celebrities told 'avoid Bra Boys'
By Sarah Blake and Marnie O'Neill
March 11, 2007 03:00am

SENIOR police have warned the growing band of A-list celebrities aligning themselves with the Maroubra surfers Bra Boys gang that their new mates have strong links to organised crime.

Last week's premiere of the film Bra Boys, made by brothers Sunny and Koby Abberton, attracted Oscar winners, footballers, soap stars, and fashion designers.

Even Ian Thorpe posed on the red carpet.

Many of these celebrities joined gang members who loudly cheered during the film's numerous depictions of the Bra Boys assaulting the police along with non-locals trying to surf at Maroubra.

But former gang squad head Detective Superintendent Ken McKay said despite the romanticised idea that the Bra Boys were just battlers looking out for each other and surfing together, many were violent criminals.

Supt McKay said celebrities needed to be cautious about their ties to the Bra Boys.

"People need to be very wary who their connections are ... and who they align themselves with," he said.

"There is more than sufficient intelligence, information and connections to link them (the Bra Boys gang) to organised crime."

Two reports tendered to an unrelated court case last year reveal that the Australian Federal Police had identified the Bra Boys as an "eastern suburbs drug syndicate" in 2003.

The first was written in May that year and identifies Tony Hines, a violent local standover man, as "the syndicate head of the Bra Boys".

The second was written in August, 2003 - shortly after Jai Abberton shot dead Hines - and outlined the late gang leader's extensive drug dealings overseas.

Jai Abberton said he acted in self-defence and was acquitted of the murder by a jury. Last year, Koby Abberton also escaped jail after receiving a nine-month suspended sentence for lying to police about the killing.

Officers said last week that of the estimated 300 Bra Boys, of which the Abberton brothers have become the public face, probably only 10-20 were "into serious drug dealing".

But they said NSW police had "seriously underestimated" the threat posed by gang members.

However, none of this seems to be worrying a growing list of big names who have publicly supported the suddenly trendy Abbertons - despite the fact Jai Abberton is currently wanted by police for theft in Adelaide.

Supt McKay said some officers remained unhappy that Jai Abberton was exonerated in court, despite admitting he shot Hines.

He said: "You only need to look at the variety of people and incidents they've been linked to - the robberies, Hines, drugs."

Dr Marc Brennan of Sydney University said the popularity of the Abbertons was similar to that of the violent criminal gangsta rap culture rampant in the US.

News Limited