Diego Carbone: Sentenced over Bradley Dillon Leichhardt carpark murder

A former member of a secretive inner west fight club has been sentenced over his role in the “brutal and callous” murder of a young dad.

More than seven years after a young man was gunned down and stabbed in an underground carpark, a member of a secretive inner west fight club has been jailed for the “senseless” murder a second time.

Leichhardt man Diego Carbone was sentenced in the Supreme Court for his role in the brutal murder of 25-year-old Bradley Dillon on August 11, 2014.

The 30-year-old man was convicted of murder in 2018 and sentenced to 21 years in jail, however the initial conviction as quashed on appeal.

In February, Justice Peter Garling found Carbone guilty of murder for the second time and on Friday was sentenced to 24 years jail.

Diego Carbone led to a prison transfer van in 2018. Picture: Dan Himbrechts.

The brutal murder, described by Mr Dillon’s mum as “senseless and spineless”, was the result of an unpaid debt involving members of secretive inner west fight club — the Saint Michael Fight Club, the court heard.

Justice Garling described how Carbone’s cousin, Antonio “Tony” Bagnato, was “regarded as a man of influence amongst fight club members”.

Carbone and Bagnoto organised to meet up with Mr Dillon at a carpark underneath a Leichhardt TAB, the court heard.

Mr Dillon intended to resolve the debt “peacefully” and arrived at the meeting with his future killer unarmed, even though he had been receiving threats from other fight club members.

Detectives arrested Diego Carbone at Sydney International Airport in 2014. Picture: NSW Police.

Justice Garling told the court Carbone knew Bagnato was armed with a pistol before the murder took place and Bagnato’s car was parked to enable “a quick and unimpeded escape route after the meeting”.

The court heard there was a fight between Mr Dillon and Carbone.

“At one point during that struggle … (Carbone) held the deceased from behind using his arm in a hold resembling a choke hold,” Justice Garling said.

“During the course of that struggle … the deceased was intentionally stabbed from behind on four occasions and seriously wounded.”

Justice Garling said he wasn’t able conclude beyond a reasonable doubt whether it was Bagnato or Carbone who stabbed Mr Dillon.

After this struggle, Mr Dillon attempted to flee the car park and was shot in the back multiple times.

“He was shot at and struck by three of the five bullets fired by Tony Bagnato … (the bullet wounds) would have on their own caused his death,” Justice Garling said.

After the murder Carbone and Bagnoto sped off in a car, with Bagnoto then escaping to Thailand while Carbone was caught by police at the airport, the court heard.

The family of Bradley Dillon leaving the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney in 2018. Picture: Paul Braven.

When delivering his judgment, Justice Garling described the killing as a “brutal, callous and gratuitous murder”.

“(The murder) had been planned. It was not a spontaneous offence,” Justice Garling said.

The court heard Bagnato was older and “a much more forceful character” who “no doubt influenced” his cousin, but Carbone was “equally guilty” in the joint criminal enterprise.

“Clearly Tony Bagnato brought the Glock pistol to the meeting and was the person who shot the deceased, however, the role of the offender was not one of being a mere bystander doing nothing at all,” Justice Garling said.

For his role in the murder of Mr Dillon, Carbone was sentenced to 24 years jail with a non-parole period of 18 years.

Having already spent over six years in prison, the earliest Carbone could be released is July 22, 2033.