Two alleged hit men fled Melbourne in a luxury SUV and had “snacks” ordered for the ride to Sydney after gunning down underworld figure Gavin Preston, a court has been told.
Mr Preston was shot dead and his friend AJ Maghnie was injured after they were ambushed outside the Sweet Lulu’s cafe in Keilor East on September 9, 2023.
Prosecutors allege the shooters were Jaeden Tito and Rabii Zahabe, two New South Wales men contracted by an unknown party to carry out the killing.
The pair have pleaded not guilty and are facing a Supreme Court trial in Melbourne.
The men are facing a Supreme Court trial in Melbourne after pleading not guilty. (Artist: Anita Lester)
Prosecutors allege the shooters used several getaway cars — torching two — and escaped Melbourne in a booked car minutes after the shooting.
Chauffeur Jahanzaib Aslam told the court he received a booking through the encrypted app Signal from an unknown person calling themselves “Feature”, on September 8.
“They needed a car from Melbourne to Sydney … that can carry up to four passengers. They said it’s like two girls and two boys,” he said.
A request was also made for “snacks”, Mr Aslam said.
After 10am the following day he used his Audi Q7 SUV to pick up two men wearing dark-coloured clothes on Koroit Place in Taylors Lakes.
Mr Aslam said he asked the pair why they wanted to drive from Melbourne to Sydney.
“They said they were just going for Christmas,” Mr Aslam said.
“They just had a weird smell. They were vaping as well, so I thought maybe just a vape.”
The driver said the pair changed clothes during rest breaks and whispered between themselves during the journey.
Mr Aslam said he overheard one of his passengers say, “Now we are brothers”.
Mr Aslam told the court he did not get a good look at the men’s faces, telling the jury it was possible they were of Middle Eastern appearance.
Mr Preston ‘never’ sat outside, court hears
After dropping the pair off separately in Sydney, Mr Aslam said he went to a hotel and began scrolling on his phone.
“There was 7News on Tiktok … about the shooting this morning in Keilor,” he said.
Mr Aslam told the court the story concerned because it matched the time he left Melbourne.
He said he contacted “Feature” and sent an invoice for $2,800, but it was never paid.
The driver said he was asked to collect the money in person but decided against it.
Earlier on Thursday the court heard Mr Preston was cautious about his surroundings and “never” sat outside at the Sweet Lulu’s cafe, other than on the day he was shot dead.
Gavin Preston was sitting in the outdoor area at Sweet Lulu’s cafe the day he was killed. (AAP: Joel Carrett)
Witness Patrick Christofi, who attended the cafe daily, said he had observed Mr Preston and his friends at Sweet Lulu’s two or three times a week in the lead-up to the killing.
“He was always inside and was cautious about where he sat. The day of the shooting was the first time I had ever seen him sit outside,” Mr Christofi said in a statement read to the court.
Cafe manager Lulu Blackmore said Mr Preston had three regular tables inside, all of which had views of the street.
“He sat in the same spot, if he could, every time,” she said.
Ms Blackmore said Mr Preston “never” sat outside.
She said the underworld figure was easily recognisable because “he was big”, had a bald head and visible tattoos.
Ms Blackmore told the court Mr Preston was regularly accompanied by a woman who she assumed was his partner, a teenage boy and a man in his 20’s, known as AJ.
AJ Maghnie was sitting next to Mr Preston on the day he was killed, and suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen.
Damage to the walls of the Sweet Lulu’s cafe, marked by police the day Gavin Preston was shot. (Supplied: Supreme Court of Victoria)
Shooters had faces covered during attack, court told
In his statement, Mr Christofi described the chaotic scene that unfolded as two men, dressed in black and with their faces covered, stopped a car in the middle of the street, carried out the assassination, and sped off in less than 10 seconds.
“He dropped to the ground after being hit,” Mr Christofi said of Mr Preston.
“Colin from the lawnmower shop got some towels. It was at this time that I walked and stood near Preston. He was laying in a pool of blood and was still breathing. Colin used the towels to put under his head, which is when I could see his face had been shot out.”
Local police officer Brad Douglas tried performing chest compressions on Mr Preston until it became apparent he was dead.
Senior Constable Douglas was then tasked with accompanying Mr Preston’s friend, Mr Maghnie, to the hospital in an ambulance.
A court exhibit shows police markers at the scene of the cafe the day Gavin Preston was shot dead. (Supplied: Supreme Court of Victoria)
The court heard that when the officer questioned Mr Maghnie about the shooting, he replied: “I did not see who it was. I don’t know. I didn’t see a car. I didn’t see a firearm.”
Mr Maghnie is not being called as a witness in the trial and “has not been forthcoming”, prosecutor Kristie Churchill SC told the jury this week.
Jurors were shown crime scene photos and a video taken by police, with Mr Preston’s body still visible on the ground.
On a nearby table sat two glasses of orange juice and a pair of sunglasses.
Two black balaclavas, a shirt and a glove — allegedly belonging to the shooters — were recovered from getaway vehicles later examined by police. Those items were shown to jurors in plastic bags.
Lawyers for Mr Tito and Mr Zahabe say their clients were not involved in the shooting of Mr Preston and Mr Maghnie.
The trial continues.