A family has told a judge of its heartbreak over the bikie bashing murder of Clint Starkey at a NSW Central Coast service station.
"He was cheeky, a real larrikin and everyone got on well with Clint because he was a happy-go-lucky person with a great sense of humour," his parents Lorraine and David Starkey said in their victim impact statement.
His sister Stacey said he had a heart of gold and while he had his share of getting into trouble, the family was always there for him.
Their statements were tendered on Thursday at the NSW Supreme Court sentence hearing of five men, then Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang members, found guilty over the late-night attack on April 5, 2017.
Adam David Symons, 41, Beau Andrew McDonald, 30, and Guy Keith Robertson, 33, were found guilty of murder on the basis of joint criminal enterprise.
Brothers Colin Steven Crane, 55, and James Peter Crane, 57, who were not present during the attack, were found guilty of being an accessory before the fact.
The 42-year-old victim was assaulted at the Caltex outlet in Peats Ridge, with CCTV footage capturing him being punched, kicked and stomped on.
The assault commenced at 10.07 pm and lasted about 30 seconds.
Mr Starkey never recovered consciousness and died about nine weeks later.
The men's lawyers referred to evidence at the trial which revealed Colin Crane, described by the prosecutor as being "an elder statesman of the gang" as having had an ongoing dispute with Mr Starkey.
This included Mr Starkey having seriously threatened Colin Crane's wife at her workplace days before the attack.
On April 5, the assailants travelled to the closed service station after being in communication with the Crane brothers who knew Mr Starkey was there.
The lawyers told the judge their clients were no longer associated with the Rebels, a group some joined after enduring deprived and alienated childhoods.
Phillip Young SC said his client Colin Crane had retired from the club.
"His house is full of paraphernalia," he said.
"So what? It's a museum."
His client has expected there would be a "touch-up" at the service station.
Symons, who was charged with negligent driving in 2017 after driving over the leg of a homeless person, had a good employment history and was working hard in prison, said his barrister James Trevallion.
Tom Hughes said his client McDonald had excellent prospects for rehabilitation, noting he had come to the aid of a prison officer being assaulted by an inmate.
Before the trial, Robertson had offered to plead guilty to manslaughter, his lawyer Wayne Flynn said.
While acknowledging he had returned to Mr Starkey when he was unconscious and stomped on his head, he noted the Crown was not in a position to assert which injury caused death.
James Crane's offending was said to have involved "minimal" participation.
Mr Starkey's parents said their son had loved animals, fishing and playing jokes.
"We think about Clint every day, whether it's while baking cakes or in the kitchen cooking or out working on the farm."
His sister said watching her parents try to cope was hard, as they used to all go out on long weekends and holidays but that has stopped.
When she was about 15, a daughter of an uncle died from health issues.
"I remember dad saying that it would kill him to lose a child of his own and to see that happen to him and to see him now is really hard."
Justice Desmond Fagan will sentence the men on November 11.
