Where Are The Bra Boys Now?

From gangland crimes and professional surfing to Hollywood, the Bra Boys surf gang once dominated national headlines, but where are they now?

The infamous group claimed Maroubra as their territory in the 1990s, a beachside, inner-city suburb in Sydney.

They can be recognised by their emblem neck tattoos that read, “My Brother’s Keeper”.

Former NSW Deputy Police Commissioner Dave Owens said they are a closely-knit group of surfers who claimed to look after local youth from housing commissions.

But what was once seen as fierce tribalism soon turned into drug trafficking and gangland violence, including murder and armed robbery.

The group’s founding members are brothers Koby, Jai and Sunny Abberton.

In 2003, Jai Abberton shot dead fellow Bra Boy Tony Hines. He was found not guilty of murder, former detective Dave Owens explains why on Crime Insiders:

A documentary film about the Bra Boys premiered in 2007. The film was narrated by Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe, written by Sunny Abberton and featuring Koby and Jai Abberton.

The award-winning film also featured 49 well-known surfers from the Bra Boys gang.

So where are the founding members now?

Jai Abberton pleaded guilty to throwing rocks at a man following an argument in 2021. He told Waverly court he was attending Narcotics Anonymous.

According to the Daily Telegraph, he said in court, “My record is atrocious, […] But I have remained pretty much out of trouble since 2012.”

Sunny Abberton, the oldest of the brothers, parted with professional surfing to film the Bra Boys documentary. He also laboured as a mine worker in Western Australia. 

Hear from a former detective who investigated Bra Boys on this episode of Crime Insiders.