Paolo Bessa da Silva stands trial in the Supreme Court accused of attempted murder at Waterloo Corner

A shotgun blast to the face at point-blank range. A video feed that mysteriously goes blank. Key witnesses, including the victim, refusing to testify. What happened at Waterloo Corner?

In the early hours of April 23, 2020, a car crunched to a stop on a gravel driveway outside a Waterloo Corner property.

The front passenger side window lowered, the driver spoke to the Dunn Rd house owner, who stood on the other side of a chain-link fence.

Minutes later the driver was shot in the face at point-blank range with a weapon suspected to have been a sawn-off shotgun – blinding him and spraying blood through the car.

The driver sped off but did not get far, crashing barely 50m down the road and beaching his car in a ditch.

He then got out and stumbled a further 80m down the road, before collapsing against a fence and calling for help.

Paramedics arrived within half an hour and a first responder described the scene as “a pitch-black road and a voice coming from nowhere”.

They found the stricken man in the dark on the side of the road. “I can’t see anyone, I can’t see who you are,” the injured man told paramedics.

The ambulance officers responded that they were there to help. “I’ve been shot in the face,” the victim replied.

The scene of the shooting in Waterloo Corner where a man was blinded by a point-blank range shotgun blast.

Photos from the trial of Paolo Bessa Da Silva, who is accused of shooting a man to the face with a sawn-off shotgun. This image shows blood splatter inside the victim’s car. Picture: SA Courts

Exactly what happened to the man has been at the heart of a Supreme Court trial.

Paulo Joaquim Bessa da Silva, 42, is charged with attempted murder and aggravated intentionally causing serious harm. Police allege he pulled the trigger on that night.

But Anthony Allen QC, for Mr Bessa da Silva, argued before Justice Laura Stein that there was not enough evidence to prove his client was the person who fired the gun.

Opening the trial, prosecutor Michael Foundas said even if Mr Bessa da Silva did not fire the gun, he was still part of a joint criminal enterprise to shoot the victim.

“On the prosecution case, shooting someone at close range in the face speaks eloquently of an intention to kill,” Mr Foundas said.

The court heard that both the victim and the owner of the Dunn Rd property, a friend of Mr Bessa da Silva, were refusing to co-operate and would not give evidence at the trial.

Mr Foundas said security camera footage from the property would form an integral part of the case, placing a man alleged to be Mr Bessa da Silva at the scene and in possession of a sawn-off shotgun.

The driver of this car was blasted with a sawn-off shotgun. Picture: SA Courts

The driver of this car was blasted with a sawn-off shotgun. Picture: SA Courts

He said the footage showed Mr Bessa da Silva arriving at the property at 1.45am. The owner opened the front gate of the property and let him park at the rear and the pair spoke briefly.

Mr Foundas said that, between 1.47am and 2.02am, Mr Bessa da Silva was filmed pacing at the rear of the property before occasionally looking down the driveway and then arming himself.

“On the prosecution case he is waiting for someone,” Mr Foundas said.

“He was contemplating a degree of conflict that requires him to arm himself first with a knife, then two samurai swords and ultimately a sawn-off shotgun.”

Mr Foundas said the victim arrived in his car at 2.02am and the man alleged to be Mr Bessa da Silva was last filmed at the rear of the property holding the firearm.

Prosecutors allege Paolo Bessa Da Silva was “waiting for someone” before the shooting. Picture: SA Courts

Evidence photos from the trial of Paolo Bessa Da Silva. Picture: SA Courts.

A minute later, the security camera feed went blank for one minute and two seconds.

Mr Foundas said a police analysis of the footage gave no explanation for why it was blank.

He said the next image was of the homeowner pointing at the person alleged to be Mr Bessa da Silva, who placed an item in the front of his car before leaving.

The property owner was filmed throwing two items, later found to be shotgun shells, over the back fence of the property.

Evidence photos from the trial of Paolo Bessa Da Silva. Picture: SA Courts.

The scene of the shooting. Picture: SA Courts.

The trauma surgeon who treated the victim when he was brought to hospital said the injuries were consistent with being shot at close range while turned slightly towards the gun.

A ballistics expert said it was likely a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun with a shortened barrel had been fired within 3m of the victim.

Pellets and wadding from the gun were found throughout the car.

The shotgun was never recovered and Mr Bessa da Silva was arrested at his sister’s house, where clothing similar to that filmed by the security camera footage was being washed.

Justice Stein has reserved her verdict to a later date.

Originally published as Paolo Bessa da Silva stands trial in the Supreme Court accused of attempted murder at Waterloo Corner