Shop worker died taking on his 'killers'

Despite being shot and hit in the head with a hammer, Sydney fruit shop worker Kamran Yousaf struggled with one of his alleged killers, a court has heard.

When Sydney fruit shop worker Kamran Yousaf found himself in the midst of an armed robbery "no one" at first realised he had been shot, a court has heard.

It wasn't until he collapsed and told his co-worker to call an ambulance that his colleague saw the blood on his back.

Lance Murdoch and Jame Phan, also known as Linh Dang, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of fruit shop employee Kamran Yousaf who died on October 12, 2013 after an armed robbery at the Villawood store in Sydney's west.

On the opening day of their Supreme Court trial on Thursday, crown prosecutor Siobhan Herbert described how the pair turned up at the shop wearing medical masks to disguise their faces.

Murdoch, she said, was armed with a small silver pistol while Phan was carrying a hammer.

Both were wearing high-visibility vests.

They allegedly ran round to the front of the store where Phan grabbed a cash register draw and made his way to the back to try to escape, the crown alleges.

It was then that Mr Yousaf grabbed Phan and wrestled him to the ground to try to stop him leaving.

Murdoch, she said, took aim and shot Mr Yousaf, striking him once in the stomach and again in the lower back.

Phan also hit Mr Yousaf over the head with his hammer, drawing blood.

No eyewitnesses at this point knew Ms Yousaf has been shot, the crown said.

In fact Mr Yousaf, along with his co-worker Muhammad Akmal and a customer dragged Phan back into the shop and tied him up while they waited for police.

Mr Akmal told the court he then turned around to find Mr Yousaf lying face down on the floor.

"I saw the blood on his back ... I said, Are you OK, are you OK? He turned around and said, `Someone call the ambulance'."

Mr Yousaf died at the scene.

After the shots were fired, Murdoch, the crown says was seen running from the fruit shop where a woman noticed he had dropped a mask and high-visibility vest.

DNA found on these items matched that of Murdoch, Ms Herbert said.

But Murdoch later told police he had gone to bed after leaving Star City casino with Phan that morning and denied any involvement in the shooting or robbery.

Phan has pleaded guilty to the armed robbery but not guilty to the murder, while Murdoch denies both charges.

The trial continues.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world