UPDATE
A man has been refused bail in Sutherland Local Court this afternoon over a gun seized in relation to the murder of former bikie boss Mick Hawi.
Beau Redmond, the son of Sydney hotelier Geoffrey Redmond, will remain behind bars following his arrest over charges he allegedly possessed a loaded .45 automatic Colt Desert Eagle pistol without a licence.
Ballistic officers have confirmed it was not the same weapon used in the shooting outside the Rockdale Fitness First gym in February but the pistol has landed the 29-year-old Hurstville resident behind bars after it was seized during the Hawi murder investigation by Strike Force Amirs.
The former Newington College student was apprehended by police as he attempted to board an international flight from Sydney Airport, one day after the former Comancheros boss was gunned down in the carpark of the south Sydney gym.
Mr Redmond was then taken into custody, before he was sent to hospital and held under mental health legislation.
Shortly after his arrest detectives seized the loaded pistol from a home at Hurstville.
Mr Redmond appeared in court this afternoon wearing a grey hoodie and a white T-shirt.
He has been charged with possessing an unauthorised pistol, possessing ammunition without holding a licence, permit or authority, and not keeping a firearm safely.
The court also heard Mr Redmond would remain bound to the terms of an apprehended violence order taken out against him by his father Geoffrey Redmond in early February.
Bail was not applied for in relation to any of the charges, though it was formally refused, with Mr Redmond’s lawyer Chris Eliopoulos requesting all matters be held over to May 14.
EARLIER
A man will face court today charged in relation to a loaded handgun seized during the investigation into the murder of former bikie boss Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi.
Hawi, was shot by an unknown man as he got into his car outside a gym on West Botany Street, Rockdale, just after midday on Thursday, February 15.
Hawi, 37, was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to St George Hospital in a critical condition, where he later died.
Detectives from the State Crime Command’s Criminal Groups Squad established Strike Force Amirs to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Acting on information from the community, detectives arrested a 29-year-old man as he attempted to board a flight at Sydney International Airport on Friday, February 16.
He was taken to a police station, before being taken to hospital for assessment.
Shortly after, detectives executed a search warrant at a home at Hurstville, where they located a loaded semi-automatic Desert Eagle pistol.
The firearm has been examined by specialist ballistic officers and determined not to be the firearm used in the shooting.
The man has all but been ruled out by detectives as having been involved in the daylight assassination.
About 12.30pm yesterday, the 29-year-old man was arrested after leaving hospital and taken to St George Police Station.
He was charged with possess unauthorised pistol, possess ammunition without holding licence/permit/authority, and not keep firearm safely-pistol.
The man has been refused bail to appear at Sutherland Local Court later today.
Investigations under Strike Force Amirs are ongoing.
News Limited reports today that the strike force is investigating whether the killing was linked to Hawi’s role as a standover man in a construction extortion bid.
It’s understood Hawi may have been trying to collect up to $500,000 before his assassination.
