Melbourne - Victim 'tortured over mobile phone'
Victim 'tortured over mobile phone'
A MELBOURNE man was held captive, tortured for two days and his body dumped near a creek all over a mobile phone, a jury has heard.
The decomposed body of Christopher O'Brien, 22, was discovered near Dandenong Creek five months after his murder in March 2007, the Victorian Supreme Court heard today.
Crown prosecutor Geoffrey Horgan SC said Mr O'Brien was bashed and tortured at a Noble Park house by a number of people led by Dimitrios Likiardopoulos, then 47.
Mr Likiardopoulos, of Noble Park, who has pleaded not guilty to his murder, believed the victim had stolen a mobile phone, Mr Horgan said.
Mr Horgan said it was unknown exactly when the murder occurred because of the delay in finding Mr O'Brien's body.
He added that most of the witnesses were young drug-affected people who could not provide certainty on when Mr O'Brien was killed.
Mr Horgan said the crown could not say what caused Mr O'Brien's death.
But his skeletal remains showed he had many bone fractures including on his ribs and shoulder blades.
Mr Horgan said Mr O'Brien, a "somewhat simple" man, was transfixed by fear during the attack, supervised or controlled by Likiardopoulos who lived at the house where the attack occurred.
"It was a prolonged assault on a helpless victim," he said.
Mr O'Brien lived in the same street as Likiardopoulos and witnesses reported young people dropping in at the accused's home night and day to get drugs, Mr Horgan said.
After his death, Likiardopoulos directed others to get rid of his body, Mr Horgan said.
