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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Sam Rigney

Bikie associate, convicted killer jailed for ice supply in Bar Beach car park

AN associate of the Life and Death Outlaw Motorcycle Gang was still on parole for murdering a man in a Boxing Day bashing in Sydney's West when he was caught supplying 140 grams of ice to an undercover police officer in Bar Beach car park.

David Wildsmith, 36, of Coogee, was in 2010 jailed for a maximum of 16 years for the murder of James Tautari at St Clair in 2007.

He served 12 years behind bars before being granted parole and was "doing well" before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he sank into unemployment and methamphetamine use, Newcastle District Court heard on Thursday.

Wildsmith and Life and Death OMCG member Dean Hyland were arrested in February after a three-month investigation by Strike Force Raptor police into the supply of methamphetamine in Sydney's West.

Hyland, himself a convicted killer who served more than 20 years in jail for the 1998 execution-style murder of Alan Brown at Wyong in 1998, in September pleaded guilty to supplying a large commercial quantity of methamphetamine.

Bar Beach car park.

That charge relates to four separate deals totalling more than 500 grams, which was supplied to an undercover police officer for $112,000.

He remains behind bars and will be sentenced in March.

Hyland, 52, was communicating with a person, known only as Witness A, using an end-to-end encrypted messaging service when the pair discussed supplying five ounces of methamphetamine for $30,000 at Bar Beach car park on December 16 last year.

Witness A arrived in the car park about 11.40am before Hyland arrived about 10 minutes later and got into his car.

The pair drove around before returning to Bar Beach car park when Wildsmith arrived in another car and Witness A handed over $30,000 in a green bag.

Hyland got into Wildsmith's car and Wildsmith handed him a black package containing 139 grams of 75 per cent pure methamphetamine.

Hyland handed the green bag, now containing methamphetamine, back to Witness A and the two bikies drove away from the scene.

Judge Penelope Hock said on Thursday that Wildsmith's role was clearly at a lower level than Hyland and he had expected to be paid or rewarded with methamphetamine.

She said a psychiatrist had diagnosed Wildsmith with methamphetamine use disorder and he committed the offence to feed his habit.

"The pandemic had an impact on the offender and his opportunities for employment dried up and he sank into unemployment and drug use which resulted in him offending again," Judge Hock said.

Wildsmith was arrested at Cessnock on February 7 and later charged. He pleaded guilty to supplying an indictable quantity of a prohibited drug in August.

When he was 22, Wildsmith and four other young people were convicted of killing Mr Tautari in St Clair on Boxing Day, 2007.

Wildsmith was found guilty of murder and later jailed for a maximum of 16 years, with a non-parole period of 12 years.

He became eligible for parole in 2020 but his parole period does not expire until January and it was revoked earlier this year when he was charged over the Bar Beach methamphetamine supply.

Judge Hock on Thursday jailed Wildsmith for a maximum of two years and three months, with a non-parole period of one year, meaning he will be eligible for release in April, 2024.

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