A blood smear trailing along a footpath of a suburban Sydney street went largely ignored by local residents accustomed to hoaxes and bloody turf brawls in their beachside suburb. Initially police suspected it was nothing more than animal blood. But at the end of the trail, at the base of a Maroubra cliff, lay the naked body of notorious underworld figure Tony Hines, shot four times at close range. Hines was a man with a history of violence, a rape conviction and a long list of enemies.

In the months following the discovery of his body, police unearthed more than just a killing. They found a story of revenge that would shock the city and the international surfing world. Koby Abberton, one of the most recognisable surfers in the world and face of the sunglasses giant Oakley, was charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder, perverting the course of justice and hindering police. His brother Jai, a popular local surfing identity, was charged with murder after his girlfriend told police an extraordinary tale of the night of the killing.

For local surf gang the Bra Boys' bad publicity is nothing new, but the arrest of two of its founders signalled something a lot deeper.