A collision on Liverpool Road in Cadishead in the summer of 2020 would lead police to the arrest and charge of six individuals associated to the Manchester Bandidos motorcycle club.
Three motorcycle club members and three of their associates have been handed prison sentences and community orders following a dispute with a rival club uncovers a web of criminality spreading across the country.
Steve Mason 36,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 31,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 36, of Hartford Gardens, Timperley, pleaded guilty to criminal damage and cultivation of cannabis, he will spend 27 months behind bars.
Also convicted for their part in this investigation were:
Luke Emery 27, 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 29,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,34of 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.
The court heard how this entire investigation stemmed from an initial road traffic collision report close to midnight on Saturday 22 August 2020, after a vehicle had collided with an address on Liverpool Road in Cadishead.
From there, officer uncovered that the RTC had a lot more to it, thus an investigation beginning that led to the arrest and charge of six individuals associated to the Manchester Bandidos motorcycle club.
Earlier that day, members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club travelled to a public house, just yards from their rival’s club house on Chester Road in Trafford.
Members of the club spread themselves out along the road, in a show of disrespect, taunting their rivals who were not at the clubhouse at the time.
15 minutes after arriving, the group disperse from the area away from CCTV coverage.
Later that afternoon, several members of the Bandidos motorcycle club return to their clubhouse, where officers believe a revenge plan was hatched against their counterparts from Salford.
At 7pm, a Peugeot 2008, which was hired by Steve Mason a few days before the incident occurred, is captured on CCTV heading towards Salford.
Phone data suggests that both Leslie Lamb and Luke Emery are on board and in the Irlam and Cadishead area of Salford, along with the vehicle.
Prior to midnight that Peugeot was reversed into the front of the Hells Angels clubhouse on Liverpool Road in Cadishead.
CCTV from the area shows a suspect running from the direction of the RTC wearing a crash helmet and a distinctive jacket. The suspect is seen to get inside the waiting vehicle. The jacket is very similar to one worn by Emery on a previous social media post.
The following day, a report of a theft of a motor vehicle was made to us, the victim for the burglary is Victoria Priestner claiming that she was looking after the vehicle for the owner whilst he is on holiday.
She has been admitted to hospital and returned to find the kitchen window open, and the car key had gone.
The vehicle being reported as stolen was a Peugeot 2008, the same vehicle that had been reversed into the clubhouse on Liverpool Road the night previous.
Officers carried out enquiries and found a hole in Priestner’s story, albeit she was admitted to hospital, she claimed she has been in for four days, where records suggest she was only in hospital for a six-hour period.
Given the discrepancy in the timeline of events, our officers deemed it necessary to continue with the investigation – which – lasted a staggering five years.
Steve Mason who was the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Bandidos was responsible for discipline and access to weapons. He was initially arrested on in September 2021 by West Mercia Police and then further arrested by Greater Manchester Police in April 2024. Evidence showed Mason orchestrated the manufacture of 3D-printed firearms using multiple printers seized from addresses linked to him in Manchester and Exmouth.
Forensic analysis confirmed his DNA on the trigger and operational parts of a PG22 Maverick revolver, a prohibited weapon under the Firearms Act. He also featured in videos assembling gun components and was linked to ammunition and a traditional .38 calibre revolver.
Dale Austin, who lived with Mason, was linked to the traditional revolver and ammunition seized in Exmouth. His DNA was found on the trigger of the .38 Special revolver, which was test-fired by forensic experts and confirmed to be a viable weapon. Austin was also arrested for possession of Class A drugs during later enquiries.
Leslie “Diesel” Lamb played a key role in the feud and was heavily involved with orchestrating the attack on the rival clubhouse. A search of his home in Hartford Gardens in Timperley uncovered a cannabis farm capable of producing up to half a kilogram of Class B drugs. His DNA was also recovered from a 3D-printed firearm seized in Manchester.
The investigation uncovered a hybrid 3D-printed handgun design known as the PG22 Maverick, capable of firing .22 calibre rounds when fully assembled with metal components. Although incomplete at the time of seizure, forensic experts confirmed it met the legal definition of a firearm under the Firearms Act.
Alongside this, officers recovered a Llama .38 Special revolver and six rounds of live ammunition, as well as multiple 3D printers, numerous bladed articles, and digital files for other printable weapons including the Liberator and Songbird pistols.
