Fleeing man hacked to death with samurai swords

MELBOURNE - A man fleeing a nightclub gang attack was hacked to death on a nature strip by men wielding samurai swords, a Melbourne court was told today.

James Huynh, 19, was killed and his two cousins, Nam Huynh, 21, and Viet Huynh, 25, drowned in the Yarra River after they became involved in a dispute at Salt nightclub in South Yarra on July 8 in 2002.

Seven men stood trial in the Victorian Supreme Court today over the murders.

Two men, Cuong Quoc Lam, 25, of Sunshine and Hung Tu Van, 28, of Footscray, have pleaded not guilty to the murders of all three men.

Five others, Linh Van Nguyen, 26, of Altona Meadows, Thanh Nha Nguyen, 25, of St Albans, Long Tanh Tran, 22, of Footscray, Hong Bui, 23, of St Albans, and Hoang Quang Tran, 22, of Sunshine, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of James Huynh.

The court was told the murders happened after James Huynh's brother, John, hit one of the accused men with a bottle inside the nightclub in retaliation for a brawl at Crown Casino's Odeon nightclub several days earlier.

Prosecutor Mark Dean, SC, said shortly afterwards, James Huynh was attacked outside the nightclub before he, his brother and his two cousins were chased along Chapel Street by a number of men armed with samurai swords and knives.

James collapsed on a nature strip near the corner of Chapel Street and Alexandra Avenue because of his injuries and a possible asthmatic condition, Mr Dean told the court.

He was then killed, in what a witness would describe as an "extreme and shocking" attack, Mr Dean said.

He was stabbed in the chest and had his hand virtually severed during the knife attack, in which he was also kicked and punched, he said.

"At 3.15am (AEDT) on the morning of Monday 8 July, 2002, James Huynh died as a result of blood loss and severe injuries to his body that were inflicted on him by the use of samurai swords, knives or other similar weapons," Mr Dean said.

The court was told James Huynh's cousins jumped into the Yarra River in a bid to escape their attackers.

The water was about eight degrees and the men's decision to jump in was "a very desperate exercise to put it mildly", Mr Dean said.

John Huynh, who also jumped into the river, but survived, said he saw men armed with samurai swords standing on the bank.

The trial, which could run for 16 weeks and possibly involve 150 witnesses, continues before Justice Robert Redlich.

- AAP