Court shown video of Paul Virgona’s van being stalked before killers carried out the hit

Footage has revealed fruiterer Paul Virgona’s van was stalked from the moment he left his Croydon home before he was shot dead.

Footage has captured slain fruiterer Paul Virgona’s last moments as his killers stalked his van, trailing three seconds behind him in a stolen Mercedes, before making their deadly move.

A jury has been shown a compilation of CCTV showing the 13 minutes Mr Virgona’s van was followed from when he left his Croydon home at 2.02am to when he was shot on EastLink at 2.15am on November 9, 2019.

The Mercedes, which police allege had Aaron Ong and Joshua Rider inside, was parked in nearby Edward Court, where it had lay in wait for two hours for any movement from Larissa Court where Mr Virgona lived.

Cameras show that six seconds after Mr Virgona turned out of his street and into Parrs Rd to head to Epping market for work, the Mercedes’s headlights came on.

Paul Virgona was killed in 2019.

Mr Virgona’s van was stalked by a stolen Mercedes.

Within 20 seconds, the Mercedes exited Edward Court and began following the van.

The car followed the father onto Mount Dandenong Road, then onto the Ringwood Bypass, before he took the entrance ramp on to EastLink.

Crown prosecutor Mark Gibson, in the trial for Mr Ong, which kicked off in the Supreme Court on Monday, told the jury Mr Virgona was followed on to the ramp by a truck.

“As the truck was negotiating the bend on the ramp … the stolen Mercedes, overtook or undertook … the truck in the right-hand emergency lane,” Mr Gibson said.

With the Mercedes back behind Mr Virgona’s van, they continued along EastLink and through the Melba tunnel.

“Mr Virgona was travelling in a normal manner, in compliance with the designated speed limits,” Mr Gibson described.

Mr Virgona’s van was riddled with bullet holes. Picture: Supplied/Victorian Supreme Court

Video captured the moments the van was stalked by a Mercedes. Picture: Supplied/Victorian Supreme Court

Inside the van. Picture: Supplied/Victorian Supreme Court

“The Mercedes travelled in the same lane as Mr Virgona, approximately three seconds behind him.”

Soon after exiting the tunnel, Mr Gibson said the Mercedes accelerated into the lane to the right of Mr Virgona, speeding up beside him and firing 11 rounds into the driver’s side door.

The court heard Mr Virgona was struck in the pelvis and legs with at least seven of those rounds, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, which spun before coming to a stop.

The Mercedes then fled the scene.

Sergeant Tamara Brisbane and First Constable Max Edwards were the first police on scene.

Sgt Brisbane told the court when they observed multiple bullet holes in the driver’s side door and “a large pool of blood under the vehicle where the driver would be seated”, they retreated to their car to call for back up.

A stolen Mercedes was seen trailing three seconds behind Paul Virgona’s van.

Police allege Aaron Ong (pictured) and Joshua Rider were inside the Mercedes.

“We didn’t know whether there was another shooter nearby and we also couldn’t see in the vehicle and see who was in there or what else would be in the vehicle,” she said.

When another patrol car arrived, they approached the van again and opened the doors.

She said they saw the deceased man in the driver’s seat.

“He had a large amount of blood in the footwell and on his lower body,” Sgt Brisbane told the court. “He was unresponsive.”

Mr Ong has pleaded not guilty to murder, saying police have “the wrong bloke”.

The trial, before Justice Christopher Beale, resumes on Monday.

Mr Rider’s case is being dealt with separately at a later date.