Four teenagers have been charged following the drive-by shooting of former NRL player Matt Utai and a series of alleged arson attacks targeting his family in Sydney.
Utai, 44, suffered gunshot wounds to his leg and shoulder during the attack in the suburb of Greenacre on Tuesday. He remains in a serious condition after undergoing surgery.
Multiple charges laid
New South Wales Police Force said a 16-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man have been charged with accessory after the fact to shoot with intent to murder. An 18-year-old and another 19-year-old were charged with damaging property by fire, while one of the 19-year-olds also faces a charge of supplying prohibited drugs.
Police allege the shots were fired from a white SUV later discovered burnt out in nearby Wiley Park.
Series of linked incidents
Investigators believe several subsequent incidents — including shots fired at a home in St Clair and vehicles and properties set alight in Colyton and Guildford West — were linked and targeted the same family.
A task force was established to investigate. Officers executed six search warrants on Thursday, seizing three vehicles, about 1kg of cocaine and knuckle dusters before making four arrests.
The 16-year-old was refused bail and will appear in a children’s court on 20 February. Two of the adult suspects were also refused bail, while the 18-year-old was granted conditional bail.
Utai, who played 167 NRL games for the Canterbury Bulldogs and Wests Tigers and represented both New Zealand and Samoa, is not suspected of any wrongdoing, police said.
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