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Friday, May 31, 2019

Outlaws MC member gets 60 years

Alton Illinois, USA (May 31, 2019) — A judge Friday sentenced former Alton resident Brandon Chittum, 36, to 60 years in prison after hearing a video statement of the defendant giving a detailed description of how he helped dismember and dispose of the body of victim Courtney Coats of East Alton.

Associate Judge Neil Schroeder handed down the sentence after prosecutors introduced a taped statement that was excluded from the trial in which Chittum was found guilty of first-degree murder, dismembering a human body and concealing a homicidal death.

Brandon Chittum

On the video, Chittum is heard telling about “getting rid of the blood” holding bags for disposal of body parts and moving the body into a bathroom where co-defendant Patrick Chase ended her life by cutting her throat.

In the video, Chittum never told officers he was asleep when the murder happened. That contradicted trial testimony of Chase, who claimed his friend, Chittum, was asleep during the entire murder process.

Chittum was found guilty under the accountability theory, which holds that he helped participate in the act and was accountable for the acts of Chase, who admitted to carrying out the fatal violence.

Assistant Madison County State’s Attorney Crystal Uhe argued that Chittum deserved the same 70-year sentence as Chase received for the murder. She had argued during the trial that Chittum coached Chase in killing Coats, his then girlfriend.

“But for Brandon Chittum, this case does not happen. There is no way he was less culpable than Patrick Chase. He was the one calling the shots,” Uhe said.

Related | Victim's mother reacts to murder conviction
Related | Grisly allegations open Chittum trial

During the trial witnesses said Chittum was a member of the Outlaws motorcycle club, which had authority over The Black Pistons, Chase’s club.

Chittum made no statement on his own behalf. Uhe argued that, while Chase confessed and pleaded guilty, Chittum has never accepted responsibility.

Family members said they were torn apart by the November 2013 loss of Coats, who went missing for several weeks before her body parts were found in trash bags in the Mississippi River in Greene County.

“She was always full of life; she never knew a stranger,” said her uncle, Richard Beach. “What you did was evil, cold and heartless, She was not piece of trash to be thrown off a bridge.”

Coats’ aunt, Jody Lessman, said Chittum played the system, delaying the trial for five years.

“Every day I think about how evil, cold and heartless the crime was that Courtney endured and what these two men did to her,” Lessman said. “Not only did Brandon Chittum aid in taking her from us, he put myself and our family through complete hell while he played the system for five and a half years before going to trial.

The victim’s mother, Elizabeth, said she is happy with the outcome. Uhe said the case could never have been won had it not been for the work of the Alton Police Department.

“What started out as a missing persons investigation has finaly come to a conclusin with both murderers being brought to justice,” she said. “We hope this finally gives Courtney’s family some peace.”

She also thanked the Illinois State Police Crime Lab Crime Scene Investigation and Division of Forensic Sciences.

SOURCE: The Telegraph

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Dutch Bans Hells Angels MC

Utrecht, Netherlands (May 29, 2019) BTN — Dutch judges on Wednesday banned the motorcycle club Hells Angels and ordered all its chapters to close in the Netherlands, as authorities continue a clampdown on so-called outlaw motorcycle clubs.

"The Hells Angels is a danger to the public order," the court in the central Dutch city of Utrecht ruled.

"The Hells Angels sees itself as a one-percenter club, a club of outlaws," said the court, citing a slogan used by motorcycle clubs rejecting the authority of national laws or societal norms.

"It's a club where there's a culture of lawlessness and the authorities are kept outside their doors," the court added in a statement.


The court referred to a number of patches or so-called "colours" on the cut-off vests of the Hells Angels, called "cuts", saying "they are handed out to members who commit (serious) violence."

"The Hells Angels' profile is that of the largest and most powerful motorbike club. They believe other clubs should listen to them and that leads to long-running conflicts."

Dutch prosecutors, who have been trying for more than a decade to get the club banned, referred to an incident in the southern town of Kerkrade where a cafe frequented by rival motorcycle club, Bandidos MC was set on fire in 2015.


In another incident the following year, Hells Angels were involved in a massive brawl in the restaurant of a Rotterdam hotel, allegedly with members of another rival club. Shots were fired.

"These incidents portray an image of violence by and against the Hells Angels," the court said.

The banning of the club founded in the late 1940s in California, is the latest in attempts by Dutch authorities to shut down motorcycle clubs often involved in crimes such as drug and arms trafficking.

The same court in Utrecht in 2017 banned the Hells Angels' arch-rivals, the Bandidos, for similar reasons.

Judges also banned homegrown club Satudarah last year, saying it too "has been involved for many years in criminal activities including violence against other motorcycle clubs, manufacturing and trafficking in narcotics, the illegal possession of weapons and extortion."

SOURCE: DutchNews.nl

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Firefighter fired because of Hells Angels membership

Amsterdam, Netherlands (May 23, 2019) BTN — An Amsterdam firefighter was fired for the first time because he is a member of a controversial motorcycle club, the Hells Angels. According to fire brigade commander Schaap, this is incompatible with a public function. The Hells Angels are not prohibited in the Netherlands, but there is a lawsuit against them.


Commander Schaap said last year that members of motorcycle clubs do not belong in a fire department. At that time it was not yet certain whether they could be expelled from the corps, such as with the police. "Membership of a motorcycle club does not mean that you cannot extinguish a fire," it was said. That is why he investigated what can be done about it.

Letter of resignation

Het Parool has the letter of resignation in which it says: "We find it undesirable that you are knowingly and unknowingly in environments with persons whom you can know that they are committing more or less structural crimes, advocating for it or publicly expressing it. " The board believes that employees should realize that they are part of the Amsterdam-Amstelland Fire Brigade 24 hours a day.

The dismissed man has been a member of the Hells Angels for around twenty years and has been working for more than 25 years with the fire department. He finds his dismissal unfair and therefore goes to court.

His lawyer Geert-Jan Knoops calls it very careless that the letter of resignation has been leaked to the press. The letter is sensitive to privacy and that is why the firefighter was surprised to see him partially in Het Parool this morning. In addition, Knoops finds the argumentation wrong. "The man has had an excellent track record all these years."

Strategy

The lawyer also finds the timing very remarkable. Next week's verdict in the lawsuit against the Hells Angels. "It seems like a strategy to put the Hells Angels in a bad light."

The Dutch Ministry of Defense announced yesterday that their declaration of conduct is being withdrawn because they have links with motorcycle clubs such as Satudarah or the Hells Angels. There is a good chance that this will lead to their dismissal.

SOURCE: NOS

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Police on alert as Hells Angels come to town

Surrey, South East England (May 22, 2019) BTN — Up to 3,000 Hells Angels motorcycle club members  are expected in East Surrey for a three-day event culminating in a 700 motorcycle ride out to Brighton.

The ride out, which is the culmination of Hells Angels Motorcycle Club's (HAMC) ‘Euro Run’, is expected to cause major disruption in East Surrey and Sussex on Saturday June 1 while police have also warned motorists to expect a large number of bikers in the area for the duration of the event.


It is the first time the three-day event, between May 30 and June 1, has been held in the UK and is being done so to mark the 50th anniversary of the HAMC in the country.

Officers from Surrey Police and Sussex Police have had leave and rest days cancelled to cover the event, and others, in what is set to be an extremely busy week for police.


Assistant Chief Constable Nev Kemp, who is leading policing operations for both Surrey and Sussex during the period, said: “We are approaching an incredibly busy time with lots going on and thousands of visitors expected across both counties.

SOURCE: Surrey Live