John Macris murder: Tributes from Sydney gangster’s children while on holiday in Greece
The model widow of murdered Sydney gangster John Macris has revealed unseen photos of notes written by their children on his birthday as they holidayed at a five-star resort in Greece.
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There was a cake and birthday messages during a family holiday at a five-star Greek island resort, but the guest of honour was not there.
The children of slain Sydney gangster John Macris honoured their father, saying they will never “forget their daddy” in birthday messages.
Macris would have been 48 on Saturday, but he was shot dead outside his home in Athens, Greece in October two years ago, aged 46.
Two Bulgarian brothers will face court over his execution in Greece this week, with three days of hearings scheduled.
“Daddy, I love you a lot, I will never forget you,” a translated message from Achilles said.
His daughter Alexandra wrote: “Daddy, I love you a lot, you are the best there is no other like you, you are very kind, happy birthday.”
Another message said: “Daddy I was loving you always and you died all of a sudden.”
The heartfelt tributes from the children were posted online by their mother Viktoria Karida as they took a break at a five-star resort on the Greek Island of Paros.
Ms Karida, a Ukrainian-born former Playboy model, also posted pictures of her and Macris.
This birthday carried extra weight as the trial of Yuliyanov J Raychev Serafim and Milen Raychev was due to start on Wednesday July 1.
Serafim was accused of pulling the trigger after jumping out of a Nissan Pulsar to ambush Macris who was arriving at his home in the hillside suburb of Voula, Athens, in a black smart car.
His children recently watched CCTV of the execution, finding out how he died on YouTube.
The brothers will deny they killed Macris, claiming that if they were professional killers they would not have used their real passports when travelling to Greece.
Serafim’s lawyer will also claim that he was not in the video, despite clothes similar to the ones seen in the footage being found in his hotel, along with a receipt.
Heavy security was expected for this week’s case, with Seraphim previously taken to court in a bulletproof vest flanked by police with automatic weapons.
Macris had links to organised crime in Sydney before he moved to Athens in 2013 where he started a security business that won more than $7 million in government contracts in 2018.
The motive for the hit on Macris remains unknown, with Seraphim, who also had a business in Canada, denying any involvement.
Police had been investigating whether it was part of gang wars in Athens.
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Ms Karida, who is a reality TV star in Greece, released a statement to a Greek television station this week, slamming the brothers, claiming they were responsible for her husband’s death.
“Aside from being ruthless killers, they are unrepentant and shameless,” she said, according to a translation.
“People who have lived under false identities and have been deported from Canada for acts of violence are trying to present themselves as “angels”.
Police have CCTV and will call 19 witnesses for their case, which Ms Karida claimed was “overwhelming evidence.”
“They will get what they deserve in court,” she said.
stephen.drill@news.co.uk
Originally published as John Macris murder: Tributes from Sydney gangster’s children while on holiday in Greece