Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
National
Rex Martinich

Gang shooting victim 'tracked with iPhone', judge hears

A judge has heard how encrypted phones and GPS tracking apps were used before Shane Bowden's murder. (HANDOUT/QLD POLICE MEDIA)

An execution-style murder tied to a bikie gang was organised using encrypted phones and GPS tracking apps, a court has been told.

Peter Michael Cummins on Wednesday applied for bail in the Brisbane Supreme Court on one count of murder related to serious organised crime.

Cummins is accused of aiding eight other defendants to murder Shane Bowden, 47, an alleged "turncoat" against the Mongols motorcycle club.

Shane Bowden homicide scene (file)
Shane Bowden was shot 21 times in the driveway of his Gold Coast home. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

Two hooded gunmen fatally shot Mr Bowden 21 times in the driveway of his Gold Coast home just after midnight on October 12, 2020.

Defence barrister Scott Lynch said Cummins had been accused with "no direct evidence" of acting as a driver for the gunmen.

"There's a lot of fertile grounds for cross-examination. (A prosecution witness) is a very serious drug trafficker," Mr Lynch said.

He said the basis for applying for bail was that the prosecution case against Cummins was weak.

"It is very much a circumstantial case arising from inferences from GPS data," Mr Lynch said.

Crown prosecutor Bradley White accused Cummins of possessing a tracking device before it was attached to Mr Bowden's vehicle in the days before the shooting.

Shane Bowden (file)
A judge said she would "need convincing" before releasing one of Shane Bowden's accused killers. (Robyn Wuth/AAP PHOTOS)

"There is some evidence the murder weapon was collected from (Cummins's) home. That's the most incriminating thing," Mr White said.

He said data from Cummins's phone linked him to the vehicle used during the shooting.

"He had possession of an iPhone 6 handset that was being used to monitor the movements of (Mr Bowden)," Mr White said.

Justice Elizabeth Wilson heard the prosecution would allege the conspiracy to murder Mr Bowden was organised via three encrypted mobile phones and Cummins had one of the handsets.

Mr White said Cummins was "closely associated" with the Mongols before and after Mr Bowden's death.

Justice Wilson told Mr Lynch she would "need convincing" to release Cummins on bail and he could otherwise apply to have the murder charge dropped in February at a committal hearing.

"I don't want to be in the position that the bail application fails," Mr Lynch said.

Justice Wilson adjourned the bail hearing to a date to be fixed.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.