Andrew "Benji" Veniamin (16 November 1975 – 23 March 2004) was an Australian criminal from
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. A convicted car thief, Veniamin was a key figure in the
Melbourne underworld killings, suspected of both murdering seven underworld figures, and being a hit-man for the Williams crime family. Veniamin was killed by
Domenic "Mick" Gatto at the La Porcella Italian restaurant in
Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
. Gatto claimed it was in self-defence following a heated argument.
Early and personal life
Veniamin was born to
Greek Cypriot
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 r ...
immigrant parents, and was raised in the Western Melbourne suburb of
Sunshine
Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when th ...
. From a child to his early teens, Veniamin was an altar boy at the St Andrew's
Greek Orthodox Church
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...
in the neighbouring suburb of
Sunshine West
Sunshine West is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Brimbank local government area. Sunshine West recorded a population of 18,552 at the .
Sunshine West is a ...
, where his funeral was later held.
Veniamin worked at the
West Melbourne wholesale fruit and vegetable market.
A few years before his death, Veniamin fathered a daughter as the result of a casual affair.
[
He was also a known associate of ]Dino Dibra
Dino Dibra (18 April 1975 – 14 October 2000), also known as The Sunshine Boy, was an Australian suspected murderer and a victim of the Melbourne gangland killings.
Imprisonments
Dibra was born to Albanian parents. Between the ages of 15 and ...
, who was murdered at his home in October 2000, and of Paul Kallipolitis, who was shot in similar circumstances two years later. Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''.
, Victo ...
say Veniamin was one of the most dangerous and feared men connected to Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
's crime scene, and by the time of his death in 2004, they had connected him with several of Melbourne's underworld murders. The church where he was made an altar boy, and where his funeral was held, was also no more than a block away from the Sunshine West house in front of which Dibra was killed.
Veniamin met with Nik Radev
Nikolai Radev ( bg, Николай "Ник" Радев; 29 January 1959 – 15 April 2003), nicknamed The Russian, was a Bulgarian career criminal and mobster who was involved in crime in Melbourne, Australia.
Biography
During his life he was ...
on 15 April 2003, the day Radev was murdered, in Coburg
Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...
. Veniamin associated with an underworld group known as The Carlton Crew
The Carlton Crew is a criminal organisation based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, which was formed in the late 1970s and named after the Melbourne suburb in which it is based, Lygon Street, Carlton, commonly called "Little Italy". The orga ...
; after 2003 he was connected with the Williams Family, and was a close friend of Carl Williams.
Relationship with Roberta Williams
He was a close friend of Carl Williams and his wife Roberta. Although Roberta had previously rejected claims she and Veniamin were intimate, in early 2009 she admitted that he was her soulmate. She said that every Tuesday he would pick her daughters up and take them to religion classes, bring them home and give them a bath. He said his favourite day of the week was Tuesday and Roberta said her younger daughter, Dhakota, idolised him.
Death
Veniamin died in the La Porcella restaurant in Carlton
Carlton may refer to:
People
* Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname
* Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy
* Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
on 23 March 2004 at around 2.30pm after being shot by former associate Domenic "Mick" Gatto. Gatto was charged with his murder but acquitted on self-defence grounds.
During the trial, Gatto claimed Veniamin had pulled out a .38
.38 caliber is a frequently used name for the caliber of firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
Th ...
pistol and threatened to kill him, when they were together in an enclosed area at the back of the restaurant. There were no witnesses. Gatto claims Veniamin lost his temper after being told that "he'd rather eniaminnot come around near atto's group of friendsat all", that Veniamin drew a gun and that during a struggle he was able to turn the gun around on Veniamin and fire one shot into his neck, and one shot into the eye. Gatto also claimed that before Veniamin lost his temper, Veniamin had implicated himself in the deaths of Dino Dibra
Dino Dibra (18 April 1975 – 14 October 2000), also known as The Sunshine Boy, was an Australian suspected murderer and a victim of the Melbourne gangland killings.
Imprisonments
Dibra was born to Albanian parents. Between the ages of 15 and ...
, Paul Kallipolitis and Graham Kinniburgh
Graham Allen Kinniburgh (20 October 1942 – 13 December 2003) was an Australian organised crime figure from Kew, a suburb of Melbourne. He became a victim of the Melbourne gangland killings, which were dramatised in the drama series ''Underbel ...
; he is also believed to have killed underworld figure Victor Peirce
Victor George Peirce (11 November 1958 – 1 May 2002) was an Australian gangster from Melbourne, Victoria. Peirce was a member of the Pettingill family, which was headed by matriarch and former Richmond brothel owner Kath Pettingill.
Walsh S ...
. His funeral was held at the Greek Orthodox Church
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...
in Sunshine West
Sunshine West is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's central business district, located within the City of Brimbank local government area. Sunshine West recorded a population of 18,552 at the .
Sunshine West is a ...
, in western Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, the same church where he had been an altar boy.[
]
In popular culture
In the first season of drama series ''Underbelly'', Veniamin was portrayed by actor Damian Walshe-Howling
Damian Walshe-Howling (born 22 January 1971 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian actor, well known for his role as Andrew "Benji" Veniamin in the Australian underworld drama, ''Underbelly'', for which he won the Best Supporting or Guest Ac ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Veniamin, Andrew
1975 births
2004 deaths
Australian organised crime figures
Greek gangsters
Australian people of Greek descent
Criminals from Melbourne
People murdered in Victoria (Australia)
Victims of the Melbourne gangland killings
2004 murders in Australia
People from Sunshine, Victoria