Jamal Younan set for trial four years on from alleged triple stabbing
The effects of a triple stabbing that left one man in an induced coma will be settled at trial four years on from the alleged incident at a Somerton reception centre.
Police & Courts
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A triple stabbing sparked by an argument over a drinks bill at a Lebanese pop show is at the centre of a Supreme Court stoush set for trial.
More than 500 patrons gathered to see Lebanese popstar Fares Karam when the violence, which left one man in an induced coma, broke out at La Mirage reception centre in Somerton.
Jamal Younan, 44, was accused of stabbing David Elley, 33, Adaay Kakoz, 37, and Ewan Yakou, 33, in the foyer about 1.43am on December 7, 2019 after the group, who had earlier been kicked out, re-entered the venue when the show finished.
Footage of the wild brawl allegedly shows Mr Younan armed with a kitchen knife lunging at one of the men who was swinging a belt.
The father-of-four allegedly stabbed Mr Elley in the back leaving him with life-threatening injuries that saw him placed in an induced coma.
The other men were stabbed in the abdomen and underwent surgery.
Blood stains can be seen splattered on the ground in the footage recorded by a by-stander.
Mr Younan handed himself in to police days after the violence and was charged with intentionally causing serious injury, intentionally causing injury, reckless conduct and affray.
But he was ultimately acquitted by a County Court jury on the grounds of self-defence.
Four years on, the bloodbath is at the centre of a legal stoush as the warring parties seek to resolve their differences before a judge.
The injured men sued Mr Younan for damages and loss of earnings, with claims also filed against the venue’s owners for negligence and breach of duty for allegedly not employing enough security and, ironically, failing to keep them out.
Court documents name alleged gangland boss Fadi Haddara as one of the organisers.
But Mr Younan, from Roxburgh Park, has counter sued alleging the fight was sparked after the group attacked him and his family, forcing him to defend himself.
A counter claim was also filed against the venue for allegedly allowing the group to re-enter after the concert.
The Herald Sun this week applied for documents detailing the fallout from the night of violence.
Mr Younan, via legal firm Burn City Lawyers, declined to comment when contacted.
Court documents state the fight was sparked after the group argued with staff for failing “to charge patrons for alcohol when ordered”.
Venue manager Sami Younan was allegedly confronted when Mr Younan jumped in to diffuse the tension.
Mr Younan was then “set upon aggressively and assaulted by Kakoz, Elley and Yakou, acting in concert”, court documents state.
According to his counterclaim, Mr Younan was punched in the mouth and his shirt ripped before the group were kicked out by security.
But they allegedly returned and set upon Mr Younan and his family members before he responded in “self defence”.
“As a result of the actions of Yakou, Elley and/or Kakoz ... Younan feared for his life and for the lives of other members of his family,” his counterclaim states.
A magistrate previously quipped: “There were multiple aggressors.”
The stoush has played out for years but is set for trial in October.
La Mirage and a lawyer for Mr Elley declined to comment.
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