Teen fronts court charged with shooting murders at Prahran nightclub
A teenager charged with the murders of two men outside Prahran’s Love Machine nightclub is the victim of a “misunderstanding”, his lawyer says. The 18-year-old wiped away tears as a Melbourne court heard it was his first time in custody.
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An 18-year-old charged with the murders of two men in the Love Machine nightclub shooting is a victim of a “misunderstanding”, his lawyer says.
Jacob Elliott, 18, fronted Melbourne Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder, with police saying there could be more arrests to come.
Mr Elliott’s lawyer told the court — filled with more than a dozen young men and women supporting the teen — his arrest was a “misunderstanding.”
He wiped away tears as the court heard it was his first time in custody and was vulnerable due to his young age.
Prosecutors told the court the investigation into the April 14 shooting which killed two men was ongoing and there were “potential outstanding co-offenders”.
They requested a 14-week time frame to present the hand up brief, saying “many many hours” of CCTV footage, witness statements and DNA analysis would need to be gathered.
The defence said they welcomed the request telling the court the sooner the police could present the brief of evidence, the sooner the “misunderstanding in relation to the arrest of my client can be rectified”.
Mr Elliott’s family members fired up as media asked to clarify a suppression order made on the young man’s address, with one relative yelling: “it’s our f...ing home”.
Mr Elliott’s defence lawyer said due to there being a number of victims, “feelings were running a bit hot” and family and friends living at the address feared for their own safety.
“They’re innocent bystanders in all of this,” he said.
The large group yelled “we love you Jacob” as Mr Elliott was led out of the courtroom.
Homicide detectives this morning arrested Mr Elliott in Southbank, and executed a search warrant in an outer-Melbourne suburb.
Mr Elliott’s arrest comes as gangland figure Nabil Maghnie has emerged as a person of interest in the shooting.
Maghnie, who is behind bars after being arrested last Wednesday, has been investigated over the brazen Prahran club drive-by attack that killed two people.
The Herald Sun understands he has also come under scrutiny over another gun attack in recent months.
Maghnie, who boasts a colourful history, has twice survived being shot and is regarded as a persuasive man good at getting his own way.
He is also considered to be closely aligned to the outlaw Comanchero motorcycle club.
Maghnie is an enemy of former Bandido strongman Toby Mitchell and was investigated when he was shot at Brunswick in 2011.
He has also been in a conflict with a violent crime family heavily involved in drug trafficking in the northern suburbs.
The development comes after 25-year-old Moussa Hamka appeared in court charged in connection with the shooting.
Police also believe they have recovered the weapon used in the attack.
Mr Hamka faced Melbourne Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with multiple offences, including being an accessory after the fact to murder, in connection to the shooting.
Police seized a handgun found during a search, and charged Mr Hamka with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
A security guard and patron died when Love Machine was sprayed with bullets at 3.20am on April 14.
A Porsche suspected of being linked to the crime was later found torched at Wollert in Melbourne’s north.
At one stage, it was seen travelling in tandem with a Suzuki Swift near the shooting scene.
The investigation took a dramatic turn last week when police revealed the torching of a Suzuki in South Yarra three days later may also be linked to the drive-by.
Police have seized another Suzuki found parked nearby, sparking a theory that it was actually the car used and the bungling drive-by killers may have torched the wrong one.
Investigators are examining the car for evidence, including fingerprints or DNA, which the shooters may have thought would be destroyed by the arson attack.
They are still looking for a blue Holden Colorado believed to be connected to the shooting.
The Herald Sun believes more than a handful of offenders could be linked to the Love Machine shooting, procurement of weapons and the torching of vehicles.
Victoria Police said its investigation remained ongoing.
“Over the past two weeks police have released details of three vehicles linked to the incident and we are still keen to speak to anyone who has information about their movements on the night or current whereabouts,” police said in a statement.
“This includes a maroon Ford ute, a silver Suzuki Swift and a blue Holden Colorado.
“Investigators are still following up a number of lines of inquiry with regards to the exact circumstances of the shooting and what led to it occurring.”
Mr Hamka, 25, from Epping, was yesterday supported in court by a man and a woman believed to be family, who declined to comment to reporters outside court.
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The pair were promptly ushered away by their lawyers and wore hoods to protect their identities.
In court, the 25-year-old wore a grey ‘Hilfiger’ T-shirt, and stood with his tattooed arms folded.
Mr Hamka has also been charged with being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, stalking, making threats to kill and other offences.
He made no application for bail and will return to court tomorrow for a filing hearing.
Mr Elliott did not apply for bail and will return to court on November 14 for a committal mention.