Brent BJ Reker: Disturbing details emerge about bloody prison protest Finks bikie boss was planning in the days before he took his own life in his cell – after ‘naked photo’ bashing arrest

Prison staff feared a notorious biker boss staged a mass self-harm incident against fellow inmates in the days before he was found dead in his cell.

That fear led to Fink’s boss Brent ‘BJ’ Reker being moved from a specialist mental health unit to another part of the prison just an hour before he died.

The 35-year-old national president was found hanging at Ravenhall Correctional Center in December 2019 after barricading himself in his cell.

A Victorian coroner is investigating why Reker, who was on remand for serious, violent drug and weapons offences, was moved and whether it contributed to his suicide.

Daily Mail Australia revealed last year that a prison guard whistleblower believed FrPrison staff had ‘blood on their hands’ over his death.

The guard, who asked to remain anonymous, had worked closely with Reker before hanging himself after being transferred to a unit for troublesome prisoners.

“He was a huge, huge suicide risk. He attempted suicide several times while in Melbourne Assessment Prison, which is a maximum security prison run specifically for people with mental health issues,” she said.

Reker had become suicidal after the Director of Public Prosecutions won an appeal at the High Court, which saw his bail revoked in February 2019.

The motorcyclist had initially been released over alleged bashing, described as a revenge attack over the release of nude photos of his girlfriend Tara Egglestone online.

Brent Reker as he looked before his face was inked. Reker had previously spent time in a Perth prison after being convicted of a standover

Reker allegedly arranged for Finks bicycles to target Nick Gold’s house. Another co-suspect, Tara Egglestone (pictured), claimed he posted nude photos of her online

On Monday, counsel assisting the coroner, Leading Senior Constable Fiona Nation, said Reker had been transferred from Port Phillip Prison to a specialist mental health unit in Ravenhall in November 2019, following previous attempts to commit suicide.

The Moroka Unit provides inmates with complex mental health issues with specialized care, treatment and programs.

About three weeks later, however, prison staff became concerned that Reker was exerting influence over other inmates in that unit and removed him from the program.

The unit’s then supervisor, Malcolm Garth, told the inquest that although he knew Reker had told prison staff that he and other prisoners were planning to harm themselves together, he did not believe this was a real threat.

“Just between you and me: the boys are all going to get beat up on Sunday,” Reker had told a prison doctor.

Mr Garth said Reker and others were annoyed that prisoners were missing out on doctor and dentist visits and that Reker had also made similar threats when he tried to get a job while in prison.

“One of the problems in the group of prisoners we have in the Moroka program was that they exhibit complex and challenging behaviour,” Mr Garth told the inquest.

“A lot of that is about trying to manipulate people by making false threats to get them to do what they want… I think those specific comments were probably some form of an attempt to manipulate us into achieving an outcome.” .’

Reker (middle) in the photo with other members of the Finks motorcycle gang

Reker, 35, was in pre-trial detention and charged over alleged bashing, described as a revenge attack over the release of nude photos of a woman online

After a series of meetings, it was decided to remove Reker from the unit.

A psychiatrist was supposed to speak to Reker before he was transferred, but that never happened because the doctor could not be contacted.

At approximately 2:30 PM on December 12, officers began transferring Reker from the unit.

In body-worn camera footage shown at the inquest, Reker was argumentative when told about the move.

At around 3:30 p.m., a psychiatrist was sent to Reker’s new cell, but he was unresponsive and the cell door was blocked by a mattress.

Corrections staff declared a code black medical emergency and Reker was found unconscious on the floor of the shower in his cell at 3:38 p.m.

The inquest found that despite his repeated threats of self-harm and relatively recent suicide attempts, Reker was in the lowest risk category, meaning his mental health history was not necessarily shared with prison staff.

Coroner Paul Lawrie is investigating the events leading to Reker’s move from the specialist unit, his mental health history and the risk assessment of him by staff.

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