Gazi Safarjalani denies killing drug dealer friend Bill Panagakos on 45th birthday
A FORMER Sydney security guard accused of murdering a friend who was shot in the face on his 45th birthday was secretly recorded saying “it’s not a pretty sight seeing something like that”, a jury has been told.
NSW
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A FORMER Sydney security guard accused of murdering a friend who was shot in the face was secretly recorded saying “it’s not a pretty sight seeing something like that”, a jury has been told.
Gazi Safarjalani, 37, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his former coffee-shop partner, Bill Panagakos, who was shot dead on his 45th birthday late at night at an intersection in Petersham on March 4, 2014.
Opening the crown case in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, prosecutor Adrian Robertson alleged Safarjalani was one of two men seen approaching Mr Panagakos at the intersection before five shots were fired at him at close range.
He told the jury the Crown did not have to prove that Safarjalani was the shooter but that he was part of a joint criminal enterprise or an agreement to carry out the crime.
Mr Panagakos died after being shot five times — three times in the head, once in the shoulder and received a graze on his arm.
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He had celebrated his birthday with his wife before receiving a phone call that night, telling her he was going to see some friends, would be away for about four hours and that he would get a taxi as he would be drinking, the court was told.
Mr Robertson said Safarjalani first told police he believed his friend could have been killed over money as he was a big gambler, but later said he understood the death related to 254 kilograms of pseudoephedrine, used to manufacture the drug ice.
Mr Robertson said the jury would hear secretly recorded conversations between Safarjalani and his wife, as well as some recorded after his arrest in February 2017, almost three years after the shooting.
In one, he allegedly referred to police documents about Mr Panagakos being shot in the head, before he said “it’s not a pretty sight seeing something like that” and “that’s why I went crazy”.
Mr Panagakos, who was born on March 4, 1969, lived with his family at Ashfield.
He had been out of jail for at least five years after serving seven years six months for dealing in cocaine and heroin.
At the time, the District Court was told he was the middle man of the operation — ensuring those selling the drugs from what was known as the Discount Hotel in Darlinghurst Rd never ran out of supplies and then collecting the money from sales.