Ricky Chapman has already been the subject of one legal battle since his death in April – and Ben Harvey thinks there’s a good chance the former Bandido will soon be at the center of another.
Chapman died in April after a medical episode while working at Cape Lambert iron ore port in Rio Tinto, 16 months after surviving being hit by the sniper bullet that killed rebel boss Nick Martin at Perth Motorplex.
Martin’s stepdaughter Stacey Shoppe, Chapman’s former partner, and Chapman’s mother, Suzanne Britt, argued in the Supreme Court over the right to plan the 32-year-old’s final goodbye.
Mrs. Schoppe has won that battle and is allowed to organize the funeral.
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On Wednesday night’s episode of Up Late, Harvey – the lead reporter for The West Australian – predicted another legal battle over Chapman’s death, explaining why a lot of money could be involved.
“Suzanne’s attorney said Stacey and Ricky broke up in November, five months before he died,” Harvey said.
“The attorney said Stacey admitted that in December when she wrote a victim statement about her father’s murder.
Camera icon Ricky Chapman and Stacey Schoppe. Credit: delivered/delivered
She said her relationship with Chapman ended under the pressure of the aftermath of the Motorplex shooting.
So while there will be another cycling funeral in Perth soon, even then, that may not be the end.
“There’s still an argument about what’s going to happen to Ricky’s estate,” Harvey said.
“I have no idea how much Ricky Chapman had in the bank when he died – contrary to popular belief, most bikes break down quite a bit.
“There are very few who make good money in that profession.
Nick Martin went to God, the owner of quite a large house in Landsdale, his former friend David Pye reportedly had enough money to pay GI Joe a few hundred thousand dollars in cash to kill Nick.
“But the silver-plated bicycles are very few.
“The generals make the bank. The soldiers like Ricky generally don’t make the big piles.’
But there’s another reason why Chapman could be at the center of another legal battle.
Camera icon Ricky Chapman’s mother, Suzanne. Credit: Facebook/Facebook
“He may not have had a lot of money, but he did have a job,” Harvey said.
“We know he did because he died while working at the Cape Lambert iron ore port in Rio Tinto.
‘And if he had a job, he had a pension fund because that’s mandatory.
“And most super accounts have built-in life insurance.
“And even if he didn’t have a big nest, the life insurance payout could be several hundred thousand dollars.”
According to Harvey, Chapman died without a valid will, meaning there could be more to this saga.