Millionaire businessman was victim of string of fires before attack on panel beating shops

Two Melbourne panel beating businesses linked to a millionaire entrepreneur and former boxer were targeted by firebombers in a series of attacks on Wednesday morning.

The targeted attacks on David “Hollywood” Deicke come weeks before the 49-year-old faces court on serious drug importation charges.

Police and emergency services were called to a blaze at the Melbourne Collision Repair Centre in Mentone about 3.20am. The blaze was sparked when a car fire at the property on the Nepean Highway spread to the business.

In what police believe was a co-ordinated attack, several cars were also torched at a second smash repair business in Laverton.

A group of men were seen smashing car windows before setting them alight. One of the arsonists set himself on fire, according to witnesses.

The Laverton business on Triholm Avenue was also the target of a drive-by shooting on July 18.

The offenders then left the scene in what police believe was a white vehicle. They said they suspected the fires were linked and were treating them as suspicious.

Deicke was revealed by The Age earlier this year to have connections to the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang.

He made his fortune from a string of smash repair businesses, before moving into property development, luxury car hire and hospitality.

On Wednesday, Deicke denied he owned the smash repairs businesses, which are registered to his long-term partner, Belinda Pitts, according to records filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

He told The Age he did not know why the businesses had been targeted.

“I’ve got no idea, but I’m not the owner. We’ve got four young children, and we need to be left alone,” he said.

Deicke’s businesses have previously been scenes of bikie violence. In 2014, two Comanchero members, including slain crime figure Hawre Sherwani, broke a man’s arms at a Deicke-owned workshop after he attempted to leave the club.

Despite past appearances in the headlines, including being previously stabbed and targeted in two drive-by shootings by another bikie club, Deicke maintains a slick public image, including pictures of him on private planes and yachts.

Deicke describes himself as the “embodiment of dedication, innovation, and entrepreneurial success”, according to a website promoting his business interests, which also include property development, hospitality and life coaching.

“His journey, spanning over two decades, showcases a remarkable trajectory from a competitive boxer to a business innovator, and ultimately, a connoisseur of luxury,” Deicke’s website states.

The half-brother of five-time world champion boxer Lester Ellis, Deicke has been linked to other businesses and properties that have been damaged by fire.

In April 2023, Deicke agreed to buy a Portsea mansion for $8 million from Wallace Cameron, the former chief executive of pathology group Gribbles.

However, the luxury home on Franklin Road was razed by fire in September 2023 before the deal could be settled, and Deicke was refunded a deposit of $800,000. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

A car wash business in Brighton co-owned by Deicke and another smash repair business in Moonee Ponds were also extensively damaged by fire.

The Age is not suggesting Deicke had any involvement in the fires he has been a victim of.

In November 2023, Deicke was charged by federal police over the importation of 120 kilograms of liquid cocaine that was found inside 600 wine bottles in 2018.

At a bail hearing in 2023, Deicke’s lawyers urged a magistrate to release their client so he could focus on his business interests and make monthly repayments of $50,000 on a Brighton mansion he bought for $10 million in 2022.

Deicke was granted bail and will face a committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court in early September. His lawyers have indicated he intends to fight the charges.

In February, Deicke was accused in court documents of failing to pay for a $550,000 1987 Ferrari Testarossa he allegedly bought from a former migration agent, Jack Ta. Deicke denied any knowledge of the car.

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