Mick Hawi: Alleged Hawi shooter rented luxury apartment next to Sydney Opera House, court hears
The alleged shooter in the assassination of former bikie boss Mick Hawi rented a luxury apartment next to the Sydney Opera House right before the gruesome underworld killing, a court heard.
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One week before he allegedly executed bikie Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi, the gunman checked himself into a luxury apartment metres from Sydney’s iconic Opera House, a court heard.
Monterey man Yusuf Nazlioglu has pleaded not guilty to murdering the ex-Comanchero boss in a volley of gunshots outside a Rockdale gym in February 2018.
The 38-year-old’s NSW Supreme Court trial heard Nazlioglu was still renting the Macquarie Street unit with spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge in Circular Quay by the time Hawi was sprayed with bullets at close range.
CCTV footage played to the jury allegedly captures Nazlioglu in the foyer of the multi-million dollar apartment, part of hours of police surveillance using hundreds of security cameras from across the city during the investigation.
He’s facing trial alongside alleged getaway driver Jamal Eljaidi, who denies picking up Nazlioglu in a grey Mercedes-Benz and taking him to a nearby street straight after the gruesome underworld killing, where they allegedly set the car on fire.
The trial continues.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
The getaway car used in the execution of ex-bikie boss Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi was stolen at knifepoint nine months before he was gunned down, a court heard.
Agreed facts tendered to the murder trial of the alleged shooter Yusuf Nazlioglu, and alleged getaway driver Jamal Eljaidi, reveal an unknown man carjacked the luxury vehicle on May 19, 2017.
Dr David Chan, the owner of the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Shooting Brake, was threatened by a knife-wielding stranger who demanded the car keys in Fairfield, documents tendered to the NSW Supreme Court show.
Hawi was shot repeatedly at close range outside Rockdale Fitness First in February 2018, but Eljaidi and Nazlioglu have pleaded not guilty to his murder.
The Crown alleges Eljaidi drove Nazlioglu in the grey Mercedes to a nearby street straight after the gruesome underworld killing, where they allegedly set the car on fire.
Police arriving at Chandler Street discovered the burning car had a fake licence plate sticker affixed to stolen plates, agreed facts state.
By that time Eljaidi and Nazlioglu had allegedly already jumped into a second getaway car – a Silver Toyota Aurion.
The court has heard that a southwestern Sydney woman told police she sold the damaged Aurion to a stranger for around $450 prior to the brazen daylight assassination.
Ibtissam Khachouf said in 2016 the man knocked on her door wanting the car for parts, after she’d left it outside her home near Campbelltown following an accident.
The Crown alleges that both the Mercedes and Aurion getaway cars were stored at a Bexley home that was used as a safe house before and after the murder on February 15, 2018.
Agreed facts show the house was being leased by the brother of a man who used five rental cars with Nazlioglu between February 25 and August 11 – shortly before Nazlioglu was arrested.
The jury heard DNA linked to Eljaidi was found on a Woolworths reusable bag inside a garage at the alleged Highworth Ave safe house.
Police seized the Aurion one month after the murder in March 2018, and the Crown alleges DNA linked to both men was found inside the car, while gunshot residue was found on a balaclava stashed inside which also contained Nazlioglu’s DNA.
The trial continues.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19
The family of a Sydney property developer who allegedly owed money to bikie Mahmoud “Mick” Hawi were intimidated by two men months before the shooting, a court heard.
The Crown alleges Yusuf Nazlioglu gunned down Hawi outside Rockdale gym Fitness First in February 2018, while 32-year-old panel beater Jamal Eljaidi was the getaway driver.
But both men have pleaded not guilty to murder, and their lawyers claim plenty of other people had reason to kill the ex-Comanchero chief.
Their NSW Supreme Court trial previously heard property developer Eddie Haragli had promised cash after Hawi “fixed a dispute,” and his widow Carolina Gonzalez admitted she went to Mr Haragli’s home after the shooting and threatened to kill him.
But Ms Gonzalez denied defence suggestions that she was suspicious of the wealthy developer because Hawi was extorting him for half a million dollars.
Constable Michael Wright testified that around seven months before Hawi was assassinated, two men dressed in hoodies visited Mr Haragli’s Bexley home while he was out, causing his wife and child to fear for their safety.
“There was a child and a mother at that residence at that time and the father wasn’t there,” he said on Wednesday.
The men were described as aged between 20 and 30 and wearing black caps, and July 2017 security camera stills from Mr Hargli’s front door were tendered to the trial.
The Crown alleges that immediately after Hawi’s shooting, Eljaidi drove Nazlioglu, 38, in a Silver Mercedes-Benz to a nearby Rockdale street, where they set the car on fire before jumping into a Silver Toyota Aurion.
Police seized the Aurion one month later, and forensic biologist Ivana Sesardic said DNA recovered from a black balaclava found inside the alleged second getaway car originated from more than one person.
“The major contributor to this mixture has the same profile as Yusuf Nazlioglu,” she said on Wednesday.
NSW Police forensic chemist Nadine Krayem also told the court gunshot residue was found on the balaclava stashed inside the Aurion.
A DNA swab taken from the Aurion’s centre console buttons was linked to Eljaidi, as was a DNA swab from the driver’s side seatbelt and the front passenger’s interior door armrest, the court heard.
Ms Sesardic said tests on the driver’s side headrest recovered a DNA mixture from at least two people.
“Yusuf Nazlioglu and Jamal Eljaidi cannot be excluded as contributors to this mixture,” she said via video link.
But the fact that an individual is a major contributor to a DNA sample does not mean they were the last person to touch the item swabs were taken from, the witness agreed under cross-examination.
It is also possible that if someone was a “poor shedder” of DNA, or had just cleaned their hands before handling an item, they might not leave their DNA behind, Ms Sesardic said.
The court heard the possibility of secondary DNA transfer could also be considered reasonable between people who have frequent indirect contact while living together, or who are in social and work relationships.
“In those circumstances, trace DNA may have little evidentiary value,” Ms Sesardic told Eljaidi’s barrister David Dalton SC.
Under cross-examination, Ms Krayem said the balaclava’s gunshot residue had a “general consistency” with most of the fired cartridge cases found at Hawi’s murder scene, but noted those ammunition brands are very common.
“Does that mean that this balaclava’s firearm association could have come from an event completely unrelated to (Hawi’s death at) Rockdale?” Nazlioglu’s barrister Avni Djemal asked.
“It is possible,” Ms Krayem said.
The trial continues.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18,
A masked man was seen running wildly as if he was “doing the chicken dance” seconds after bikie Mahmoud ‘Mick’ Hawi was shot dead outside a Sydney gym, a court heard.
“The guy was running around like a headless chook,” Chris Kounavis said in a triple-zero call on February 15, 2018.
The eyewitness, who worked diagonally across from Rockdale Fitness First, told the emergency operator he heard up to five bangs that he assumed were fireworks, before seeing a man “freaking out” and fleeing into a car.
The recording was played to the NSW Supreme Court trial of Yusuf Nazlioglu and Jamal Eljaidi, who have pleaded not guilty to murdering the ex-Comanchero chief.
Mr Kounavis told the jury the slim man, who was dressed completely in black in either a balaclava or a ski mask, ran towards the passenger side of a grey Mercedes which drove off.
“They were running quite erratically … it was as if they were doing the chicken dance,” he said on Tuesday.
“Doing a bit of a jig?” Crown prosecutor Luigi Lungo asked.
“As well as throwing their arms up in the air,” Mr Kounavis said.
Prosecutors allege Nazlioglu, 38, was the shooter while 32-year-old panel beater Eljaidi was the alleged getaway driver.
Eljaidi allegedly drove Nazlioglu in a Silver Mercedes-Benz to a nearby street straight after the gruesome underworld killing, where they set the car on fire before jumping into a Silver Toyota Aurion.
Earlier, the court heard that a southwestern Sydney woman told police she sold her damaged Aurion to a “chubby” stranger for around $400 prior to the brazen daylight assassination.
Ibtissam Khachouf said the man who was aged between 40 and 45 approached her about the car, which had been left outside her home near Campbelltown after it was written-off in an accident.
“A man knocked on my door … I agreed to sell the car to this man because he wanted it for parts,” she wrote in a July 2018 statement.
The stranger was average height with fair skin that was “not white, not dark” and black hair, Ms Khachouf said.
The trial also heard from two photogrammetry experts who estimated the height of two men caught on CCTV footage near the crime scene after Hawi was gunned down.
While neither calculation exactly matched Nazlioglu and Eljaidi’s heights, one estimate fell within a seven centimetre margin of error for Nazlioglu’s 176cm height.
One expert said there was an approximate 18cm height difference between the persons captured on security footage, and there is a 23cm height difference between Nazlioglu and Eljaidi, who stands about 199cm tall.
The trial continues.