Former Rose Tattoo drummer Paul DeMarco will remain behind bars after a judge denied him bail on the grounds that his release would pose a risk to the community, following his arrest for alleged involvement in an illegal gun syndicate, earlier this year.
DeMarco was charged in April, alongside former bikie gang senior Sam Ibrahim and his Ibrahim’s sister Maha Sayour, and was charged with 27 firearms offences in relation to an alleged gun supply syndicate operated out of Sydney.
Despite pleas for bail so that he could attend a rehab facility for his crystal meth addiction and make “clear headed decisions about his case”, acting Justice Anthony Blackmore refused, noting that the former drummer would be a “risk to the community” if released.
“Offences like this present a particular risk to the community, which is obviously concerned about the prevalence of guns,” acting Justice Blackmore said. “The nature of the Crown case suggests that the accused was very deeply ingrained in the criminal milieu.”
DeMarco, 56, was arrested in April following a five-month undercover operation into the alleged ring. Fairfax reports, the court heard that the raids followed an operation in which an undercover officer allegedly bought 13 weapons from the ring, including pistols, two shotguns, seven revolvers and an assault rifle and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Former Rose Tattoo bandmate Angry Anderson and DeMarco’s wife Deirdre were both in court today during the bail hearing. Deirdre told the court her husband has experienced a significant deterioration of his mental health in the months before his arrest and when she found police searching their home, she thought he had killed himself.
She also noted that he was now “detoxing” and said that members of the Australian music industry have since come forward with offers of support. DeMarco’s barrister said his client had lived the “rock’n’roll life style for many years” but had never previously engaged in this type of criminal behaviour.
Still, bail was refused. Paul DeMarco will return to court next month.
