Three members sentenced Bernese man pretends to be a Hells Angel - real rockers beat him up

A 27-year-old man from Bern posed as a Hells Angels member to put pressure on a debtor. The bluff was called and the situation escalated. Last week, three members of the motorcycle club went on trial.

A 27-year-old man from Bern wanted to put pressure on a debtor, so he pretended to be a member of the Hells Angels. The strategy worked so well that the debtor's mother became very worried. She contacted the Bernese motorcycle club via a contact form. That's when the fake Angel was discovered.

The Hells Angels Bern then summoned the fake angel to their club in the west of the city to "sort out the problem", writes theBerner Zeitung. They beat him up there in June 2022 and demanded 15,000 francs from him as compensation for dragging their name through the mud. If he didn't pay, they threatened to cut off his fingers with side cutters.

When the 27-year-old was allowed to leave the club, he went straight to hospital. Various injuries were diagnosed there: Lacerations to the back of his head, a traumatic brain injury, abrasions and bruising. His fiancée finally reported the Hells Angels to the police.

Court believes the victim

Last week, three of the thugs (28, 38 and 47) stood trial in the Bern-Mittelland regional court for attempted qualified extortion. According to the "Berner Zeitung" newspaper, the court already believed the victim's account in an initial hearing, so it was only a question of the sanctions.

The accused remained consistently silent both during the criminal investigation and during the court hearing.

Two of the Hells Angels, including the alleged president of the Bern chapter, received prison sentences of 28 and 29 months, of which they must serve nine and ten months respectively. The third received an unconditional prison sentence of 26 months. Just over a year ago, he had already received a conditional prison sentence of 16 months for fraud. His sentence was therefore more severe.

In all three cases, he was not deported due to the hardship clause. The court's sentence was slightly lower than the prosecutor's request. The two defense lawyers had pleaded for conditional prison sentences across the board.

"The reaction was beyond and disproportionate"

Court President Peter Müller justified the sentence by stating that the Hells Angels had discussed the crime in advance. The victim had triggered the whole thing with his behavior. But: "The reaction was beyond and disproportionate." The victim is still suffering psychologically from the consequences of the incident.

The judgment of the regional court is not yet final. During the first part of the trial last spring, the defense strongly questioned the credibility of the victim and thus the account of the incident. A further appeal to the High Court is likely.

The 27-year-old victim of the Hells Angels had to appear in court himself on charges including blackmail and attempted extortion. No final judgment has yet been handed down in these separate proceedings.