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An alleged murderer made “shhh” and throat-slitting gestures to a nightclub employee before advancing on a Canberra bikie boss and plunging a knife into his neck from behind, court documents say. The ACT Magistrates Court on Monday received a document containing the first detailed outline of the incident that culminated in Canberra Comanchero commander Pitasoni Ulavalu dying in the gutter outside Kokomo’s in July 2020. It was tendered as a 26-year-old man, who cannot be named because of a court order, pleaded guilty to an affray charge. According to the document, that man and his five co-defendants attended a birthday party at a Red Hill home on July 18 last year. The co-defendants are Frederick Tuifua, Maximilian Budack, brothers Matthew and Osaiasi Kupu, and another man who cannot be named for legal reasons. All six made their way from the party into Civic about 11pm and decided to continue the celebrations at Kokomo’s. The document says that within minutes of them arriving, Mr Budack began arguing with bikies Zachary Robb and Shane Houghton, who were there with Mr Ulavalu and fellow Comanchero Taniela Tai. Kokomo’s security forcibly removed Mr Budack as a result, and the party group subsequently left the venue before returning just a few minutes before midnight. Mr Budack had a scuffle with security on the way back in, according to the document, while Mr Tuifua pulled a knife from his right pants pocket and “concealed it against his stomach”. “About this time, a Kokomo’s employee was standing behind the front reception desk when he observed Tuifua … holding something in his right hand,” the document says. “Tuifua put his finger up to his lips, making a ‘shhh’ motion and swiped his hand across his throat in a slicing motion.” Mr Tuifua then allegedly re-entered Kokomo’s about midnight and rushed towards Mr Houghton with the knife in his hand. Mr Houghton picked up a chair and used it to fend Mr Tuifua off, according to the document, as “a physical disturbance begins with various members of both groups pushing and punching each other”. It is alleged that while Mr Ulavalu was trying to “break the various members apart”, Mr Tuifua approached him from behind. “Tuifua raised the knife in an arc to the right of his body, above shoulder height, and stabbed Ulavalu in the right side of his neck, just below his right ear,” the document says. “A significant amount of blood is immediately observed coming from Ulavalu’s neck as he stumbles towards the rear of the venue.” Mr Tuifua then left the venue, having also allegedly stabbed Mr Robb in the left leg as the latter was being held by three men. The document says he was followed out the door by Mr Ulavalu, who stumbled across the footpath on Genge Street before falling face-first onto the road. Police eventually arrested Mr Tuifua, Mr Budack and the Kupus at a hospital emergency department in early August. Mr Budack had been shot three times in an incident investigators suspected to be a reprisal attack related to the events at Kokomo’s. The two men who cannot be named were arrested separately later that same month. One of them pleaded guilty to affray when he made his most recent appearance in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday. The charge he admitted to said he had “engaged in violent conduct” directed towards Mr Robb and Mr Houghton. According to court documents, the man’s involvement in the incident included punching Mr Robb in the head, shoving him into some bar stools and kneeing him in the head Magistrate James Lawton ordered a pre-sentence report and set the man’s case down for sentence in May. The other five defendants will all appear in court again later this month. Mr Tuifua has previously pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering Mr Ulavalu and inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Robb. Mr Budack and the Kupus have all pleaded not guilty to affray charges, as has the second man who cannot be named.
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An alleged murderer made “shhh” and throat-slitting gestures to a nightclub employee before advancing on a Canberra bikie boss and plunging a knife into his neck from behind, court documents say.
It was tendered as a 26-year-old man, who cannot be named because of a court order, pleaded guilty to an affray charge.
According to the document, that man and his five co-defendants attended a birthday party at a Red Hill home on July 18 last year.
All six made their way from the party into Civic about 11pm and decided to continue the celebrations at Kokomo’s.
The document says that within minutes of them arriving, Mr Budack began arguing with bikies Zachary Robb and Shane Houghton, who were there with Mr Ulavalu and fellow Comanchero Taniela Tai.
Kokomo’s security forcibly removed Mr Budack as a result, and the party group subsequently left the venue before returning just a few minutes before midnight.
Mr Budack had a scuffle with security on the way back in, according to the document, while Mr Tuifua pulled a knife from his right pants pocket and “concealed it against his stomach”.
“About this time, a Kokomo’s employee was standing behind the front reception desk when he observed Tuifua … holding something in his right hand,” the document says.
“Tuifua put his finger up to his lips, making a ‘shhh’ motion and swiped his hand across his throat in a slicing motion.”
Mr Tuifua then allegedly re-entered Kokomo’s about midnight and rushed towards Mr Houghton with the knife in his hand.
Mr Houghton picked up a chair and used it to fend Mr Tuifua off, according to the document, as “a physical disturbance begins with various members of both groups pushing and punching each other”.
It is alleged that while Mr Ulavalu was trying to “break the various members apart”, Mr Tuifua approached him from behind.
Canberra Comanchero commander Pitasoni Ulavalu. Picture: Facebook
“Tuifua raised the knife in an arc to the right of his body, above shoulder height, and stabbed Ulavalu in the right side of his neck, just below his right ear,” the document says.
“A significant amount of blood is immediately observed coming from Ulavalu’s neck as he stumbles towards the rear of the venue.”
Mr Tuifua then left the venue, having also allegedly stabbed Mr Robb in the left leg as the latter was being held by three men.
The document says he was followed out the door by Mr Ulavalu, who stumbled across the footpath on Genge Street before falling face-first onto the road.
Police eventually arrested Mr Tuifua, Mr Budack and the Kupus at a hospital emergency department in early August.
Mr Budack had been shot three times in an incident investigators suspected to be a reprisal attack related to the events at Kokomo’s.
The two men who cannot be named were arrested separately later that same month.
One of them pleaded guilty to affray when he made his most recent appearance in the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.
The charge he admitted to said he had “engaged in violent conduct” directed towards Mr Robb and Mr Houghton.
According to court documents, the man’s involvement in the incident included punching Mr Robb in the head, shoving him into some bar stools and kneeing him in the head
Magistrate James Lawton ordered a pre-sentence report and set the man’s case down for sentence in May.
The other five defendants will all appear in court again later this month.
Mr Tuifua has previously pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering Mr Ulavalu and inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr Robb.
Mr Budack and the Kupus have all pleaded not guilty to affray charges, as has the second man who cannot be named.
