An associate of a major crime network gunned down a rival and conspired to murder another amid an escalating gang feud, a jury has heard.
Samuel John Rokomaqisa, 35, is on trial in the NSW Supreme Court after pleading not guilty to murder, conspiring to murder, and aggravated assault while stealing a getaway car.
The 35-year-old is linked to Sydney's Alameddine crime network, which has been feuding with rival Hamze crime syndicate for years, crown prosecutor Kate Ratcliffe said on Monday.
The history of hostility between the criminal groups has led to several public place shootings, the prosecutor said, including the retaliatory shooting of an Alameddine associate in early June 2021.
Days later, Bilal Hamze was gunned down outside Kid Kyoto restaurant in what Ms Ratcliffe claimed was "an act in furtherance of the feud" between the two criminal gangs.
Rokomaqisa was allegedly inside a black Audi with cloned registration plates, which witnesses are expected to say they saw circling the area before ten shots were fired at Bilal Hamze.
Dashcam footage from a nearby taxi shows a pistol extending from the passenger side of the Audi, Ms Ratcliffe told the jury.
Bilal Hamze sustained gunshot wounds to his abdomen, hip and elbow and later died in hospital.
Witnesses are expected to testify that Rokomaqisa later boasted about his involvement in the shooting, including that he was owed $200,000 for "the thing".
"Bro, didn't I prove something to everyone with that job in the city," he was heard saying during a lawfully tapped call cited by Ms Ratcliffe.
Rokomaqisa is alleged to have then set his sights on Bilal's brother Ibrahem Hamze, surveilling his North Sydney apartment for weeks as part of a conspiracy to murder him.
However, the court was told the plan was thwarted when a police officer noticed the car was trying to park in a no-stopping zone and gave chase.
The stolen car sustained a flat tyre during the police pursuit so Rokomaqisa forced an elderly man to relinquish his car at gunpoint, Ms Ratcliffe said.
She claimed the 35-year-old committed the crimes to demonstrate his loyalty to the Alameddine crime network and to gain their trust.
In return, he allegedly received funds which cannot be explained by lawful employment.
Rokomaqisa has denied the allegations and his lawyers are expected to address the jury at a later stage.
The case against him will feature CCTV footage, lawfully intercepted phone calls, and information obtained from surveillance devices.
The trial, which is expected to run for eight weeks, continues before Acting Justice Robert Allan Hulme on Tuesday.
