Sydney man charged with the murder of Gavin ‘Capable’ Preston faces court in Melbourne

The 22-year-old man charged with killing underworld standover man Gavin Preston is withdrawing from cocaine and marijuana, a court has heard.

The accused killer of underworld figure Gavin ‘Capable’ Preston has told a court he is withdrawing from cocaine and marijuana as he prepares for his first time behind bars.

Jaeden Tito, 22, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday afternoon after he was hauled onto a Qantas flight and extradited from Sydney to Melbourne.

Charge sheets reveal a warrant for his arrest was issued on October 19 – six days before heavily armed police swooped on a house in Bradbury in Sydney’s southwest and dragged him out in handcuffs.

Mr Tito sat in the dock, flanked by two custody officers, wearing the same red shorts he was arrested in on Wednesday and a green sweater.

Victoria Police escort Jaeden Tito after his extradition to Melbourne. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The prosecution asked Magistrate Julie Grainger if it could have 14 weeks to prepare a hand-up brief, given the “complexity” of the matter.

The court heard there was a “significant” amount of evidence for investigators to comb through, including 140 hours of CCTV footage and DNA evidence.

But Mr Tito’s defence lawyer Talal Krayem objected, telling the court his client would be forced to remain in custody over that period.

“Anything longer is excessive”, he said, citing that 12 weeks was the standard.

But Ms Grainger said two extra weeks “does not seem unreasonable to me in all the circumstances”.

Mr Tito arrives at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Mr Tito, from Campbelltown, was told by the custody officers to stand up when Ms Grainger asked whether it was his first time in custody.

“Yes,” he told Her Honour from the dock, behind a screen of glass.

When asked whether he was withdrawing from any drugs of addiction, he replied “cocaine, marijuana”.

He said he did not have any diagnosed psychological illnesses or physical injuries and when asked if he was feeling suicidal he said: “No, I’m not.”

But for the majority of the hearing, he sat without expression watching over the proceedings.

Police arrive at Melbourne Airport on Thursday to escort Mr Tito to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Preston, 50, was gunned down in a hail of bullets while he was eating breakfast at Sweet Lulu’s Cafe in Keilor at 10.20am on September 9.

Mr Tito was arrested in a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday before he was interviewed by detectives and charged with Preston’s murder.

He faced a Sydney court on Wednesday afternoon to be extradited on the commercial flight.

Mr Tito touched down at Melbourne Airport about 3pm before a police van transported him off the tarmac.

Underworld figure Gavin Preston was shot dead at a Keilor cafe. Picture: Supplied

The accused murderer was a former promising rugby league player who was, in his teenage years, funnelled towards an NRL career.

Detective Superintendent Janet Stevenson from Victoria Police’s Crime Command on Wednesday said she could not shed light on Mr Tito’s alleged role in the shooting, but said he was “clearly key”.

Police are still hunting several other people and the motive for the shooting remains unclear.

“We will keep going on this investigation because it’s not finished,” Ms Stevenson said.

“We are appalled at this type of offending. It seriously threatened innocent people.”

Mr Tito made no application for bail and was remanded in custody.

As he left the court, escorted by the custody officers, he nodded to Her Honour on his way out.

He will return to court on March 14 for a committal case conference.