Bikies charged over NSW clubhouse

TWO alleged Rebels bikie gang members will face court on charges of illegally using an empty industrial unit as a clubhouse. Last week, police swooped on a unit in the Wollongong suburb of Unanderra as part of investigations into illegal use of the building. They allege the Waverly Drive unit was being used as a clubhouse for the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang in breach of development consent. Today police charged two Rebels bikies, aged 53 and 57, in relation to alleged breaches of planning laws. They are due to appear in Wollongong Local Court on July 10. Police have already charged a 24-year-old man, said to be a Rebels associate, with breaching the Environment Planning and Assessment Act in relation to the premises. He is due to face Wollongong Local Court on May 22. Bikies in NSW are being targeted under newly updated consorting laws as part of a strategy to wipe out gang-related crime, following a recent spate of shootings across southwest Sydney.