A Thai court has sentenced an Australian man to death for the murder of former Sydney underworld figure and Hells Angels bikie, Wayne Schneider.
Antonio Bagnato, 28, also from Sydney and a former business associate of Schneider's, appeared on Tuesday in ankle chains and handcuffs before the judge who read the verdict in a crowded Pattaya Criminal Court.
Family members wept as the lengthy terms of punishment for the kidnapping, assault and pre-mediated murder were announced.
Bagnato and 22-year-old American Tyler Gerard were arrested days after Schneider's naked body was found in a shallow, sandy grave in Chonburi, about 30 kilometres from his luxury villa in Pattaya.
"We've got hearts and they're hurting right now," said a brother of Bagnato's who did not wish to be further identified, outside the hearing.
Other family members expressed bitterness at the sentence, calling it "ridiculous" but declined to make a statement to the media.
In a 40-minute reading of the decision, the judge said evidence provided by security guards at the villa as well as DNA evidence linked both Bagnato and Gerard to the assault on Schneider.
The judge said Bagnato was tied to bloodstains on a white cloth, various plastic items and weapons which had been prepared before the attack including knives and knuckle dusters.
He said the guards had provided supporting testimony and that their evidence had "appeared to be truthful about attempting to help Schneider".
They had identified Bagnato at the scene when he told them "not to follow".
Gerard, whose parents were also present, was given a three-year jail term but with time already served taken into account, he could be released within two years after providing evidence to authorities.
Bagnato had pleaded not guilty to the November 2015 murder but Thai police had alleged he was the mastermind behind the abduction and killing of Schneider.
The judge said the former bikie's body had been located with the help of a GPS indicator fitted to the rented utility used to transport Schneider from the villa.
Late last year another Australian, Luke Cook, was convicted by the Pattaya Court of aiding and abetting by driving Bagnato and his family to the Cambodian border.
Thai police say conflicts over a multi-million dollar drug network extending from Europe to Asia had allegedly led to the killing.
It was uncertain whether Bagnato's lawyers would lodge an appeal. However, Thailand rarely carries out the death penalty.
