Jordan Van Doorn in court over alleged murder of employer Khalil Ibrahim
A Brisbane dad was paranoid and thought “everyone was out to get him” when he allegedly repeatedly stabbed his boss and bashed him in the head with a spanner, a court has heard.
Southeast
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A Brisbane dad was paranoid and “off the rails” when he allegedly brutally murdered his boss, a court has heard.
Jordan Theodore Van Doorn, 30, of Carina stands accused of killing his employer Khalil Ibrahim, by stabbing him seven times and hitting him eight times with a spanner, at his former home in Cannon Hill late last year.
He claimed self-defence played a part in what happened, alleging Mr Ibrahim attacked him “unexpectedly”.
A former colleague of Van Doorn and Mr Ibrahim testified in court on Tuesday, November 22 about certain ‘tensions’ which existed at their shared workplace before the alleged murder.
The man said Van Doorn was experiencing personal issues related to his partner and children in the months leading up to the alleged incident, which manifested in him being “paranoid”, “losing focus (at work), and not getting the job done”.
Van Doorn expressed numerous times over several weeks that “everyone was out to get him” or “setting him up”, the Brisbane Magistrates Court heard.
The colleague said Mr Ibrahim told him he was concerned with Van Doorn’s performance and inability to perform tasks the way he was supposed to, but he never broached the topic with him personally.
A second witness, Mr Ibrahim’s employer at the time of the alleged murder Brenton Devonport, said he voiced the same concerns about Van Doorn to him.
The court heard he said things to the effect of “I don’t know what to do with Jordan” as he had “gone off the rails” and “lost the plot”.
Mr Devonport said Mr Ibrahim’s worries only ever related to issues experienced on the worksite, as he and Van Doorn had been arguing “a lot” since he had re-employed him some eight months earlier.
It is understood Van Doorn briefly worked for another employer between working for Mr Ibrahim.
Mr Devonport said he was not aware Mr Ibrahim intended to visit Van Doorn at his house on the day he was allegedly killed.
A third witness by the name of Anthony Gibbs, who was Van Doorn’s neighbour at the time of the incident, said police had attended the accused’s residence “heaps of times” in the lead-up to the alleged murder.
He said many such occasions were related to Van Doorn’s drinking – explaining it was “not uncommon” for him to have an alcoholic beverage with him in the early hours of the morning – as well as loud noises and arguments he was a part of.
Mr Gibbs recalled one particular incident where Van Doorn was involved in a “punch-up” in his front yard. He said the whole street saw what happened, and neighbours called police and asked them to attend.
The court heard neighbours regularly saw and heard Van Doorn arguing with his partner, and yelling at an unidentified person over the phone, and noticed his property became unusually and exceptionally disorganised in the months before Mr Ibrahim’s death.
Mr Gibbs said a trailer and fridge were kept on the overgrown front lawn at Van Doorn’s address, while broken toys and other “bits and pieces” covered the backyard.
Magistrate Judith Daley determined there was sufficient evidence to put Van Doorn on trial for Mr Ibrahim’s murder.
Van Doorn chose not to say anything to the charge and did not enter a plea.
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