Supreme Court Trial Regarding the Killing of Gavin Preston

Apr 27, 2026, 09:00

Introduction

The Victorian Supreme Court is currently hearing the trial of Jaeden Tito and Rabii Zahabe, two residents of New South Wales. They are accused of murdering Gavin Preston and attempting to murder Abbas Maghnie.

Main Body

The incident happened on September 9, 2023, when Preston and Maghnie were shot outside a cafe in Keilor. Maghnie survived after having three surgeries for internal injuries, but Preston died from his wounds. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty. The prosecution claims that the men worked as contract killers. To support this, they have presented DNA evidence from the getaway cars and digital records, although they have not yet identified who paid for the crime. During the third week of the trial, police presented several intelligence reports. These documents suggest that Preston, who was released from prison in April 2023 after a previous murder conviction, was involved in several conflicts with organized crime groups. For example, reports mentioned a dispute with Sam Abdulrahim and the Haddara family. Furthermore, it is alleged that Preston tried to enter the illegal tobacco market, which led to theories that Kazem Hamad may have ordered the killing. Other reports suggested different motives, including a claim that Preston had disrespected the grave of Meshilin Marrogi in July 2023. One report asserted that a $5 million reward had been offered for Preston's death because of this. Additionally, intercepted prison messages from 2024 alleged that Preston had stolen machinery and used violence to threaten others. However, Detective Senior Constable Dale Myers testified that the reliability of these reports varied, and the theory about the grave was eventually dismissed as unlikely. The defense has stated that neither Tito nor Zahabe will testify during the trial.

Conclusion

The trial is ongoing as the court examines the circumstantial evidence and the complex history of criminal rivalries and unverified police reports.

Vocabulary Learning

conflict (n.)

conflict / a serious disagreement or argument競爭；衝突

Example:The conflict between the two parties lasted for months.

dismiss (v.)

dismiss / to reject or refuse to consider as valid拒絕

Example:The judge dismissed the lawsuit due to lack of evidence.

intercept (v.)

intercept / to stop or seize something before it reaches its destination阻截；攔截

Example:Police intercepted the package before it could be delivered.

organized (adj.)

organized / structured or planned in a systematic way有組織的

Example:The protest was organized by a local community group.

reliability (n.)

reliability / the quality of being trustworthy or dependable可靠性

Example:The reliability of the evidence was questioned by the defense.

Sentence Learning

Preston, who was released from prison in April 2023 after a previous murder conviction, was involved in several conflicts with organized crime groups.

Relative Clause: The clause 'who was released from prison...' provides additional information about Preston, specifying his release date and prior conviction. It modifies the noun 'Preston' and is set off by commas because it is non-essential.關係子句: 此子句為關於Preston的補充說明，說明他於2023年4月從監獄釋放並有前科，作為非限制性資訊用逗號隔開。

The incident happened on September 9, 2023, when Preston and Maghnie were shot outside a cafe in Keilor.

Passive Voice: The clause 'were shot' is a passive construction where the subject (Preston and Maghnie) receives the action of being shot. The verb 'shot' is in past participle form, and the subject is preceded by the auxiliary 'were' to indicate past tense passive.被動語態: 句子中的 'were shot' 為被動式，主語 Preostn 和 Maghnie 是受動詞 'shot' 的對象，使用助動詞 'were' 表示過去式被動。

To support this, they have presented DNA evidence from the getaway cars and digital records, although they have not yet identified who paid for the crime.

Linking Word (although): The conjunction 'although' introduces a contrastive clause, showing that despite presenting evidence, they still have not identified the payer. It links two clauses with a concessive meaning.連接詞 (although): 連接詞 'although' 用於表達對比，表示雖然已提交證據，但仍未確定付款人。

Furthermore, it is alleged that Preston tried to enter the illegal tobacco market, which led to theories that Kazem Hamad may have ordered the killing.

Relative Clause: 'which' introduces a non-restrictive relative clause describing the previous clause 'the illegal tobacco market', indicating that this action led to theories about the killer. It functions as a non-restrictive relative clause.關係子句: 'which' 引入非限制性關係子句，說明進入非法菸草市場的行為導致關於Kазem Hamad下令殺害的理論。

The trial is ongoing as the court examines the circumstantial evidence and the complex history of criminal rivalries and unverified police reports.

Adverbial Clause: The clause 'as the court examines...' is an adverbial clause indicating the reason or time for the main clause 'the trial is ongoing'. It uses the subordinating conjunction 'as' to connect the actions.副詞子句: 'as the court examines...' 為副詞子句，說明審判正在進行的原因，使用連接詞 'as' 連接主句。