Joseph Gatt found guilty of the murder of Bassil Hijazi in a Sydney carpark

COMANCHERO associate Bassil Hijazi survived a drive-by shooting where his car was sprayed with bullets just two weeks before he was shot dead by Joseph Gatt in the carpark of a Sydney gym.

Emma Partridge

2 min read

May 1, 2018 - 11:45AM

NSW

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JOSEPH Gatt blamed his best friend for the murder of Comanchero associate Bassil Hijazi, 18, in the carpark of a southern Sydney gym.

And throughout his NSW Supreme Court trial he maintained that a gun was pulled on him behind Fusion Gym at Bexley on the night of July 29, 2013.

“I braced for impact. I thought I was about to be shot,” he said when giving evidence last month.

Bassil Hijazi was shot dead in a Sydney carpark.

But today a jury rejected Gatt’s story and found him guilty of the shooting murder of Hijazi on July 29, 2013.

They found Gatt fired seven shots at Hijazi as he sat in the back of a blue Mitsubishi Lancer while smoking bongs with a mate.

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Now that the trial has ended it can be revealed that Hijazi — who had links to the Comanchero bikie gang — had survived a similar drive-by shooting where his car was sprayed with bullets just two weeks before his death on July 16.

Hijazi miraculously survived after he was shot in the neck on Prince Street at Bexley — about a kilometre away from where he was eventually murdered on July 29.

A man arrested in relation to the murder of Comanchero associate Bassil Hijazi.

During the trial the court heard Hijazi was murdered in retaliation for a drive-by shooting an “associate” of his carried out.

In his opening address to the jury Crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson explained to the jury that Gatt, 27, and his girlfriend were shot at as they sat inside a Toyota HiAce van parked at Lakemba McDonald’s on June 12, 2013.

The court heard Gatt had been informed that the person who carried out the drive-by shooting was a close friend of Hijazi.

“We say that gave rise to motive in the feud,” Mr Robertson said.

They jury also heard that Gatt had also been involved in a fight with Hijazi at a 7-Eleven in May of that year.

Hijazi was shot dead as he sat in the back of a blue Mitsubishi Lancer while smoking bongs with a mate. Picture: Bill Hearne

The Crown case relied on the evidence of their star witness George Borg who had previously pleaded guilty to his role in the murder.

Borg told the court it was close mate Gatt who pulled the trigger and that the pair had hunted down Hijazi after being tipped off to his whereabouts on the night of the murder.

“Mr Borg on our evidence did not fire a single shot,” Mr Robertson said.

Gatt’s defence barrister Phillip Boulten SC told the jury it was Mr Borg who shot Hijazi.

“I want to make it totally plain that the accused is not guilty of murder because he did not shoot the deceased and because he was not any part of any plan or agreement that the deceased be shot,” Mr Boulten said.

Mr Boulten said the “big issue” for the jury to decide was who fired the gun at Mr Hijazi.

“It is the accused’s case that he was not armed. That it was Mr Borg who was armed. Mr Borg pulled out a gun and fired,” he said.

“There is a big issue in this case about who shot the deceased.”

Gatt will face a sentencing hearing before Justice Monika Schmidt on June 13.

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