Hit men got the wrong man

IT began with a violent and bloody road-rage incident. Hours later, it ended with father-of-five Sayed Frangieh gunned down outside his own home.

IT began with a violent and bloody road-rage incident witnessed by dozens of people in broad daylight.

Hours later, it ended with father-of-five Sayed Frangieh gunned down by two hired hit men outside his family's Merrylands home.

Now, more than five years after Mr Frangieh's death, the notorious crime figure responsible for the 2003 shooting is finally being brought to justice.

In the NSW Supreme Court last week, Ken Tan pleaded guilty to the 59-year-old's manslaughter.
As Tan awaits sentencing, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the story behind Mr Frangieh's death.

Police say it began with a chance encounter between Tan and Mr Frangieh's son, Raymond.

A feared gangland figure around Campbelltown, Tan, 31, who has several aliases, also has a track record of firearm offences, vehicle thefts and the receiving of stolen property.

The court heard Raymond Frangieh had just finished serving a two-and-a-half-year prison term for drug offences when he encountered Tan and was looking to sell his car to pay off a debt to the NSW Crime Commission.

Tan agreed to buy the vehicle but never paid for it, the court heard.

After attempts to negotiate, Raymond Frangieh, then 23, went to the authorities, who recovered the car on September 25, 2003.

Angered by the police intervention, the court was told, Tan summoned five of his close associates to a "meeting'' and arranged a drive-by shooting at Raymond Frangieh's house.

Almost a dozen bullets were fired at the Frangieh home but, miraculously, no one was injured.

Tan would be convicted over the shooting more than a year later, but not before he had a second, fateful showdown with Raymond Frangieh.

Fuming over the attack on his family's home, Raymond Frangieh caught up with Tan on the streets of Granville, embarking on a wild "cat-and-mouse'' car chase on December 7, 2003.

By the end, Tan, badly hurt, was out for revenge.

What followed would be described as "madness'' by strike force detectives.

Two men of Islander appearance, wearing stockings on their faces, were seen parked outside the Frangieh family home.

They fired indiscriminately at family members, including Raymond's sister and cousin, who both escaped injury, running around the back of the house screaming.

When Sayed Frangieh emerged to check on the commotion he was shot in the chest, dying moments later on his doorstep.

Tan would be charged with Sayed Frangieh's murder on October 31, 2007.

Last Tuesday, the Crown accepted Tan's manslaughter plea in the Supreme Court. He will be sentenced on February 27.

Detective Sergeant Jason Flood, who led the investigation, said he was pleased with the outcome.