HELLS ANGELS BIKERS JAILED

Two members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club were sentenced to jail
Thursday for their parts in the beating of a pot farmer.

Ronnie Sinclair, 42, was sentenced to a two-year conditional sentence
for possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Bryan Bell, 45, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for assault causing
bodily harm.

Both are, or were, full-patch members of the Hells Angels' White Rock
chapter.

The two were involved in the severe beating of Joseph Hutchings on
July 11, 2002.

Hutchings was living at a home on Crawford Road where, through their
involvement in investigating the assault, police found 3,300 pot
plants in the home and in a barn.

Hutchings said he managed to escape his assailants and reach a
neighbour who called 911 with the information.

A police dog and helicopter found Bell and Sinclair hiding behind a
tree in a trailer park.

Bell was wearing his Hells vest and Sinclair was wearing a Hells
T-shirt.

In his court case, Hutchings claimed that the Hells Angels forced him
to grow the pot for their criminal machine, that they threatened the
life of his son and mother and held him under some irretrievable debt.

But that's all he would say. He refused to testify against Bell or
Sinclair or the Hells Angels and he wasn't the only one.

Crown prosecutor Duncan Campbell said the court owed Bell and Sinclair
a more lenient sentence for pleading guilty because its case was
likely to falter due to fearful witnesses.

"Many civilian witnesses were reluctant to testify given the dynamics
of these accused," he said.

Hutchings had already claimed he was beaten and threatened and had a
cracked jaw and two black eyes to prove it.

It was hard evidence alone that secured a conviction and brought out
their guilty pleas.

When police arrested them, they found 30 pounds of marijuana plants in
a truck leased to Sinclair.

Police also seized a large gold ring Bell wore that had blood samples
which they matched to Hutchings.

Daniel Flatt and Tamarra French were also arrested initially but
charges were dropped in July for lack of evidence.

French was Hutchings' girlfriend who, according to Hutchings, told the
Angels that he was sitting on $100,000 and they came to get it.

Hutchings said he never had the money.

French claimed Hutchings was threatening her kids, although when she
and Flatt were asked about the involvement of Bell and Sinclair, they
said they didn't know them.

Craig Del Bigio, counsel for Bell, said despite his articles of
clothing, the assault was not a Hells Angels activity and said it
consisted of just one punch.

"He happened to have with him an article of clothing. It just happened
to be what he was wearing that day, as he does many days," Del Bigio
said.

Both Bell and Sinclair had records but dating back many years. The
sentence imposed by judge Wilf Klinger was based on a recommendation
by both Crown and defence.