Australia - DESPITE being hit over the head with a chair and allegedly choked by members of the Finks, Hells Angels bikie Mark Nelms yesterday denied any 'bad blood' between the two rival clubs.
Mr Nelms, chairman of the United Motorcycle Council of Queensland, was called as a defence witness in the sentencing of fellow Hells Angels member Troy McKever Stewart.
Stewart pleaded guilty in the Southport District Court yesterday to wounding with intent to maim Finks member Ross Thomas.
The guilty plea comes more than three years after the infamous Royal Pines 'ballroom blitz' shootout which broke out during a kick-boxing tournament on March 18, 2006, at Carrara.
The two rival gangs are believed to have come to blows over former Finks nominee Christopher Hudson who had 'deserted' them and joined the Hells Angels.
During the brawl, three people were shot, two were stabbed and more than $40,000 damage was caused to the ballroom.
The court was told 36-year-old Stewart shot Mr Thomas in the right shoulder as fights erupted across the ballroom following an initial argument between Finks member Nick 'The Knife' Forbes and Hudson.
Yesterday, Mr Nelms told the court he was hit with a chair over the head and then a bottle before being pulled to the ground by two Finks members who had their hands around his neck, trying to choke him.
"I had difficulty breathing, my welfare was of concern to me -- I was being choked. There was a bang and the pressure came off, the weight came off me," he said.
The court was told one of the men was Mr Thomas and the 'bang' was the shot fired by Stewart.
Mr Nelms suffered a cut to the head and some bruising but never made a complaint to police as he did not know who had attacked him.
He said although media had reported there was 'bad blood' between the two gangs, this was not true.
"The Finks and the Hells Angels are not enemies."
Mr Nelms said he believed the fight broke out over Hudson leaving the Finks.
The sentencing was adjourned until November 27 for a psychologist's report to be prepared for Stewart who was remanded in custody.
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