Extortion case against Melbourne bikie leader Joel Leavitt collapses over legal loophole

A high-profile extortion prosecution against Joel Leavitt, the Melbourne boss of the Bandidos outlaw bikie gang, has been abandoned by Victoria's Office of Public Prosecutions. Detectives obtained a covert audio clip of Leavitt telling a construction-industry financier that "someone has to pay" even though the man claimed he owed nothing, but prosecutors argued the recording did not clearly demonstrate the "menacing behaviour" required for blackmail under state law.

Police also presented CCTV footage of Leavitt and several patched bikie members visiting the victim's premises and driving past his home. The victim has since fled interstate. Legal experts say the withdrawal highlights flaws in Victorian statutes that let gang leaders collect debts or mediate union matters with little risk of prosecution.

The case is a setback for Taskforce Hawk, the unit created in 2025 to root out crime in the building industry, and fuels criticism that the state Labor government has ignored repeated police calls for reform since 2014. Leavitt pleaded guilty to two lesser offences and was fined $2,000.