Lethal gangland feud flares in Melbourne

By GREG ANSLEY Australia correspondent

CANBERRA - Melbourne is bracing for more gangland killings following the appearance in court yesterday of a prominent underworld figure charged with the slaying of a rising hit-man at a crowded Italian restaurant.

The death on Tuesday of Andrew "Benji" Veniamin at the hands of Dominic "Mick" Gatto - who has admitted the shooting but claims it was self-defence - has brought to at least 22 the number of people killed in a war that has been running since the murder of crime czar Alphonse Gangitano in January 1988.

Eight have been gunned down in the past year. They include Gangitano henchman and drug dealer Jason Moran, who died with standover man Pasquale Barbaro at a children's football clinic last June.

The death of Veniamin, an up-and-coming assassin believed to have slain five underworld rivals, has raised fears of more killings to come.

Veniamin's boss, Carl Williams - a senior gangland figure facing charges of threatening to kill a detective - is near the top of the list.

Williams was with Veniamin on Tuesday morning at a court hearing involving another associate, Victor Brincat, who is charged with yet another gangland killing and who police suspect was also involved in the killings of Moran and Barbaro.

Williams is rumoured to have ordered the killings of Moran and Barbaro, and the earlier shooting of Moran's half-brother Mark, although he has denied any part in the murders.

The latest casualty of Melbourne's gang war died not long after he and Williams left Melbourne Magistrate's Court, elated at Brincat's win over a police bid to force him to provide a DNA sample to compare against material on a shotgun found near the scene of Moran and Barbaro's deaths.

After parting from Williams, Veniamin drove his silver Mercedes to La Porcella pizza restaurant in Carlton, where Gatto and his associates are regular customers.

Among Venianmin's suspected victims was leading underworld identity Graeme "The Munster" Kinniburgh, who was shot dead outside his home last December. Kinniburgh was a close friend of Gatto, who was also close to the Moran family.

At about 2.40pm, Veniamin walked into La Porcella and approached Gatto, who was eating at a table. The two began arguing, a shot was fired, and Veniamin fell dead.

Police arrested Gatto about 15 minutes later. He offered no resistance.

The Age newspaper said Gatto told police Veniamin pulled a gun during the argument and fired a shot that just missed his ear. In the ensuing struggle Gatto won control of the weapon and shot Veniamin.

But Gatto, a former contender for the Australian heavyweight boxing title, also has a long history of crime, including firearms offences, assaulting police, burglary and fraud.

He has spent years denying involvement in the 1988 killing of crime boss Giuseppe Arena, plays down his friendship with Gangitano and describes himself as a businessman.

In 2002, he was subpoenaed to appear at the royal commission into corruption in the construction industry, where he was questioned over his employment as a "trouble-shooter" during a dispute with unions at the site of Melbourne's new National Gallery.

Gatto was yesterday remanded in custody until July.