Moment Farhad Qaumi’s brother attacked co-accused in the dock during seven-month murder trial

Footage has emerged of a gang member attacking his co-accused with a pen during one of the most complex court cases in NSW history, which saw B4L Blacktown leader Farhad Qaumi found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

A GANGLAND kingpin who ordered the murder of his rivals and led a violent war against his enemies across southwestern Sydney has been found guilty of his crimes, ending one of the longest gangland trials in NSW criminal history.

Farhad Qaumi, leader of the Brothers For Life Blacktown Chapter and a warlord figure who followers called “The Afghan”, stood trial in April accused of a shopping-list of crimes, including murder, conspiracy to murder, drug supply, directing a criminal group, and numerous shootings that played out during the latter stages of 2013.

The trial took in a complex web of characters and crimes, starting with a killing at Revesby Heights on October 29, 2013, and followed by a series shootings that targeted members of BFL’s chapter at Bankstown in the days that followed.

The target of the Revesby Heights attack was Qaumi’s bitter rival, Mohammed “Little Crazy” Hamzy, the leader of the Bankstown crew. Hamzy survived the attack, which took place in the garage of his home on Bardo Circuit, but his cousin, Mahmoud Hamzy, who was sitting with him laughing at YouTube videos, was killed by the onslaught of bullets.

Qaumi organised the shooting but was not physically present during the attack. He was found guilty of conspiring to murder Mohammed Hamzy but not guilty of murdering Mahmoud Hamzy, the jurors instead finding him guilty of manslaughter.

Farhad Qaumi, leader of the Brothers For Life, Blacktown Chapter, and a warlord figure who followers called “The Afghan”.

His barrister, John Stratton SC, told jurors that his client had ordered the shooting over the earnest belief that “Little Crazy” was planning to kill him first.

Seated next to Qaumi each day of the trial were his two younger brothers, Mumtaz, a kebab shop owner, and Jamil, who has the number “187” tattooed behind his ear.

Both men held senior leadership roles in their brother’s Blacktown chapter and were charged alongside him with a long list of similar offences.

The case was one of the longest running trials in recent memory.

It played out over seven months, saw deliberations run for five weeks, and has remained totally suppressed from publication throughout the hearings. Jurors heard from 13 former gang members who turned rollover witness.

They told the court of how Qaumi and his brothers ruthlessly sought to dominate the underworld by taking out the BFL’s mother chapter at Bankstown.

Moments before... Mumtaz Qaumi (third from camera, standing), brother of Brothers For Life Blacktown leader Farhad Qaumi, attacking his co-accused, Mohammed Kalal, with a pen during their trial. The motive for the attack remains unknown.

The fight break out.

Police officers get involved to break up the fight.

The brawlers are separated.

Fights in the courtroom’s were also common. CCTV footage captured one fight on August 1 where Mumtaz Qaumi spontaneously attacked one of the brothers’ co-accused, Mohammed Kalal, for reasons which remain unknown to the court.

Kalal was charged over two shootings: one at Bankstown’s Chokolatta cafe on November 7, and another targeting a Bankstown BFL gang member, Masood Zakariah, three days earlier. Jurors could not reach a verdict on his offences.

A fifth man who stood trial, whose identity remains suppressed, was charged over the Hamzy murder but jurors similarly remained deadlocked on reaching a verdict.

The manslaughter verdicts in relation to the Mahmoud Hamzy’s death marked the only disappointment in a trial that resulted in more than a dozen guilty verdicts, some of which could attract sentences of at least 20 years in prison.

Now being touted for a Police Commissioner’s Commendation due to the exhaustive work involved, the case marks the first successful criminal conviction against Farhad Qaumi in a decade.

The Teflon coated figure has previously been found not guilty of three separate murder charges, two of which used pleas of self defence, as in this trial.