Was this woman killed by Melbourne's Apex gang? Notoriously violent Sudanese youths linked to death of mother who died in a fatal car crash
- Apex member, 15, was 'driving stolen vehicle involved in a fatal crash'
- Melbourne mum Amanda Matheson, 47, died in the crash last November
- Mrs Matheson's family blame Apex gang for her death
- Apex Gang recruits boys as young as 12 via social media
- Upwards of 150 members most of Sudanese or Somali background
- See more of the latest Melbourne news at www.dailymail.co.uk/melbourn
The notorious Apex gang which has wreaked havoc across Melbourne has been connected to its first death.
It has emerged that one of the vehicles stolen in a series of violent Apex carjackings in November last year was involved in a fatal crash.
Melbourne mother of two Amanda Matheson, 47, died in a head-on smash last November in the city's south-east.
A stolen BMW, which was driven by a 15-year-old Apex member, was travelling on the wrong side of the road when it collided with the 47-year-old's car, the
Herald Sun reported.
A relative of Mrs Matheson blames the Apex gang for her death.
'Mandy was just on her way to work to provide for her family,' a relative told the Herald Sun.
'She didn't take the easy option to give up, take drugs and steal, and she lost her life for it. Why should these gang members be allowed to make their own rules?'
Alleged Apex member Issac Gatkuoth, 18, was in court this week over the November crime spree.
The court heard Gatuoth was subjected to an horrific upbringing in war-torn Sudan and then Kenya before coming to Australia aged nine, according to the Herald Sun.
Mrs Matheson's family member told the paper: 'We understand the hideous upbringing, but drugs and crime are no answer. He came here and got a second chance. Mandy doesn't have that now.
The brutal gang is made up predominantly of boys and men of African background, mostly Sudanese and also Somali.
Gang leaders are believed to specifically target young boys to give them a better chance of avoiding prosecution if apprehended.
The problem of containing the gang has come to a head in the past year, according to Victoria Police.
Apex members were filmed causing chaos in March as more than 100 members clashed in Federation Square and on Swanston Street in front of families attending a Moomba community event.
The gang is said to be over 150 members strong, has been in operation for up to five years and recruits boys as young as 12.
Victoria police established Task Force Tense late last year to deal specifically with their threat.
Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, Graham Ashton, said 'intensive work' began in November last year to deal with the gang and extra resources would be brought in.
'That group has been, in our view, responsible for what has been a range of motor vehicle theft, aggravated burglaries,' Mr Ashton said.
'We have been dealing with it for more than year, rising theft of cars and break ins.'
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