Two young men accused of the jail-yard stabbing of convicted drug lord Tony Mokbel fear for their safety, with lawyers citing “high tension” at the prison.

Mokbel, 53, remains in a serious condition in Royal Melbourne Hospital after he was stabbed at Barwon Prison in an attack that allegedly involved makeshift knives.

Teira Bennett and Eldea Teuira, both 21, faced court by video link on Friday charged with Mokbel’s attempted murder.

During the brief hearing in Geelong Magistrates Court, defence lawyers raised concerns about Corrections Victoria’s ability to keep the pair safe in custody.

“Due to the high-profile nature of the case [we ask] that corrections take steps to ensure Mr Teuira’s safety,” lawyer Sophie Stafford said.

Bennett’s lawyer Stephanie Joosten tried to have her client’s name and image suppressed from publication, primarily out of concern for his safety.

“There is high tension in the prison system, particularly at Barwon,” she said.

“There is a risk to safety.”

But magistrate Peter Mellas dismissed the suppression order application, saying Bennett’s identity was already known.

“The name is out there,” he said. “The genie is out of the bottle, so to speak.”

The accused pair both appeared on video link wearing handcuffs and white T-shirts.

Teuira was sporting thin ponytails dangling from his otherwise shaved black hair.

Along with attempted murder, the duo are also charged with intentionally causing serious injury to Mokbel in circumstances of gross violence.

Prosecutors allege they stabbed Mokbel “whilst he was incapacitated”, charge sheets released by the court show.

CCTV cameras at the maximum-security prison captured the incident on Monday, the court was told.

Bennett and Teuira were remanded in custody and their matters will be mentioned in court again on 10 May.

The attack took place a day after a newspaper reported that Mokbel had intervened in a standover racket run by Pacific Islander inmates.

A notorious Melbourne underworld figure, Mokbel started out working at his brother’s pizza shop as a teenager before becoming the head of a drug empire.

He fled Australia while on trial in 2006 and was captured a year later, when he was found wearing a wig in an Athens cafe.

Mokbel was jailed for 30 years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges.

It is reported that Mokbel is hopeful of an early release as he eyes an appeal based on his barrister acting as a police informer.