A Stockport man has been handed an 18-month suspended sentence for his involvement in a motorcycle gang's 'web of criminality'.

27-year-old Luke Emery was among six individuals associated with the Bandidos motorcycle gang who were convicted for their involvement in a dispute with rival club Hells Angels.

It follows an investigation which lasted five years.

The investigation began in August 2020, after members of the Bandidos reversed a car into the Hells Angels clubhouse on Liverpool Road in Cadishead.

The attack was in response to a 'show of disrespect' from the Hells Angels who had travelled to a pub just a few yards from the Bandidos clubhouse on Chester Road in Trafford.

Subsequent investigation found that other members of the Bandidos gang were involved in the production of cannabis and illegal firearms.

The six gang members were convicted as follows, Greater Manchester Police has announced:

• Steve Mason (01/08/1989) of HMP Oakwood pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm, manufacturing a prohibited firearm, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and was handed a nine-year prison sentence.
• Dale Austin (05/04/1994) of Dukes Cresent, Exmouth, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and has been sentenced to six years in jail.
• Leslie Lamb (05/09/1982) of Hartford Gardens, Timperley, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and cultivation of cannabis, he will spend 27 months behind bars.
• Luke Emery (28/10/1998) of Stockport, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and has been handed an 18-month sentence suspended for two years, 150-hour unpaid work; 10 days rehabilitation activity requirement. Emery along with Lamb were found to contain discussions about the planned attack on the clubhouse and included images of the damage they caused that night.
• Victoria Priestner Emery (20/05/1987) of Timperley, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice and will had been sentenced to 10-months imprisonment, suspended for 18-months. Priestner is the partner of Lamb and was arrested after officers discovered a 3D-printed revolver hidden on top of a wardrobe at her home in Trafford.
• Emma McCagh (20/05/1991) of Rolle Street, Exmouth pleaded guilty to permitting the use of premises for supply of cocaine, she was given a two-year community order. McCagh was girlfriend of Mason at the time, she was arrested in Devon after searches revealed resin components of 3D-printed firearms and a revolver at her address.

Retired Detective Constable Mike Armstrong-Porter who worked in our Salford district said: "This investigation originally started out as a call in relation to a road traffic collision, what transpired turned out to be a world of criminality we were not expecting.

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"This, in essence, was a real-world 'Sons of Anarchy' dispute between two motorcycle clubs with a real disliking to each other.

"From that initial RTC report, this investigation escalated into an operation that would see us recover deadly, homemade, manufactured firearms capable of causing serious harm.

"These individuals were part of an organised network prepared to arm themselves and others, with complete disregard for public safety. The recovery of 3D printers, digital blueprints, and component parts shows how easily technology can be exploited for criminal purposes.

"Thanks to the dedication of officers across multiple forces, we have removed firearms, ammunition, and drugs from circulation thus preventing further violence, and dismantled a gang intent on causing harm.

"We have worked incredibly hard for the past six years on this case, now that it has come to an end, it is pleasing to see six criminals taken off the streets and into prison cells. Thankfully that RTC report led us to where it did, if that did not happen, a lot of potential deadly weapons could have flooded our streets."

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