Four men to stand trial over the murder of Lachlan Griffiths

A man whose body was never found was allegedly attacked in a boardroom by one of the men accused of killing him shortly before he vanished, a court has been told.

A man was allegedly kicked in a boardroom attack by one of the men accused of killing him, days before he disappeared, a court has been told.

David Lee Tans, Billy Bornstein, Francesco Giorgi and Filip Grbavac are each charged with the murder of Lachlan Griffiths, 34.

Mr Griffiths was known to be residing in different hotels in the Brisbane area around the time of his disappearance, which his mother reported to police in late January, 2022.

His body has never been found.

During a committal hearing for the four men in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday, witness Hoa Chanh told the court he’d allegedly seen Mr Grbavac kicking Mr Griffiths in the boardroom of a Coopers Plains business on January 17, 2022.

“I went downstairs and I saw the incident, it was just a room with three dudes in it, and then yeah Griffiths was on the ground,” Mr Chanh told the court.

“Filip (Grbavac) is just punching him, David (Tan) was just in the room, he didn’t do anything, just looked angry and that’s pretty much it.”

Lachlan Griffiths was reported missing in January 2022.

Mr Chanh said he had allegedly seen blood on Mr Griffiths’ face but he had seen Mr Grbavac kicking the man once as he lay on the ground.

“He was still breathing and still talking, had a cut on his face,” Mr Chanh said.

“There was just blood.

“He was very mumbly.”

The court heard Mr Chanh then returned upstairs before leaving the property for a short time before returning.

Mr Chahn, who isn’t accused of any wrongdoing, said when he returned to the property on Musgrave Rd, he had seen Mr Grbavac with wet hair, indicating he thought he’d had a shower.

Police charged four men over the alleged murder of Lachlan Griffiths despite his body never being found.

He said Mr Tan was also still at the property.

When Mr Grbavac’s barrister, Simon Lewis, asked Mr Chanh whether he’d made any calls to police after seeing the alleged assault, he told the court he didn’t call anyone.

Mr Chanh said he also didn’t see what had started the alleged fight in the boardroom.

“I’d seen fights there before,” he said.

Mr Chanh said he never saw Mr Griffiths again after the boardroom fight.

He told the court he saw Mr Bornstein “later that night” but not in the boardroom.

He did not see Mr Giorgi on January 17, the court was told.

The committal hearing continues in the Brisbane Magistrates Court. Picture: NCA Newswire / Dan Peled

Another witness, Matthew Bionda, told the court he had gotten Mr Bornstein a job at the Musgrave Rd business, painting the upstairs area, from where Mr Tan co-operated a transport company.

Mr Bionda had told Mr Bornstein the painting job “needed to be done” after delays.

The court heard Mr Bornstein was known to go to the Musgrave Rd business at night to keep painting.

Mr Bionda also told the court he’d been playing the pokies with Mr Giorgio the night Mr Griffiths was last seen alive, but couldn’t confirm what time the pair separated.

At the conclusion of the committal hearing, Magistrate Ross Mack ordered the four men stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court at a later date.