A Sydney man who pinched the bottom of an acquaintance in a "sexually suggestive way" was later bashed to death before an unspent bullet was dropped in his throat, the NSW Supreme Court has heard.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Basam Salameh, 45, spent the last moments of his life inside his unit in Blaxcell Street, Granville, with a "rowdy bunch" of three men, one of whom was Ahmed Kaddour, 22.
Crown prosecutor Trevor Bailey told a jury on Wednesday that Mr Kaddour was one of the two men who beat Mr Salameh to death in the early hours of August 14, 2013.
The other man, Daniel Azar, threw the first punch after his bottom had been pinched
Mr Bailey said it was Mr Azar who later dropped the unspent bullet in the dead man's throat.
"Things escalated and eventually Basam Salameh died as a result of the beating he received," Mr Bailey said.
After the alleged murder, a bowling ball was thrown through the window of a neighbouring unit, prompting the owner to call the police.
When police arrived at the block some hours later, they forced their way into Mr Salameh's unit and found him dead under a pile of clothes.
Nearby were two discarded metal poles.
The court heard that one of the poles had Mr Kaddour's palm print, while the other pole had Mr Azar's fingerprints.
Mr Bailey also explained to the jury about how they would hear from the Crown's star witness Mohamed El-Chami.
He said Mr El-Chami had been in the apartment when things turned violent but had stepped outside for a cigarette during the attack.
Mr El-Chami was charged with concealing a serious offence and he was dealt with leniently in return for him agreeing to be a Crown witness.
"He will tell you that, prior to the assault happening, he was in the flat with the accused [Mr Kaddour]," Mr Bailey said.
Mr Bailey said the man was expected to tell the jury how he walked back into the unit after the attack.
He allegedly saw Mr Azar crouching over the body of the deceased and holding a hacksaw to his throat.
Mr El-Chami was expected to tell the court how he kicked the hacksaw out of Mr Azar's hands before all three men ran from the unit.
Mr Kaddour has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Salameh.
"In a video recording you'll see he says he had nothing to do with it and that he wasn't there at the time," Mr Bailey said.
The trial continues before Justice Jane Mathews.
