Deadly Sydney factory siege linked to sign dispute Published duration 8 March 2016

image copyright AP image caption Police surrounded the factory soon after the shooting started

A deadly siege at a factory in Sydney was linked to a dispute over an unfinished sign, say lawyers.

Michael Bassal, 43, died after he and his brothers, aged 41 and 34, were shot when they arrived at the sign-making shop seeking a refund, lawyers say.

Gunman Wayne Williams, 33, shot himself dead after holding hostages for six hours.

His father Peter Williams, 52, faced court on Tuesday charged with firing a gun prior to the killings.

Police had also laid a charge of concealing a serious indictable offence against Peter Williams and a 30-year-old woman.

The Bassal brothers' lawyer said they had been invited to the factory to settle the dispute, and that their relationship was solely business related, denying media reports of possible links to motorcycle gangs.

image copyright 7News image caption A 7News screenshot of the siege at an industrial area in Ingleburn, Sydney

"They had contracted with Inline Signs, the business which operated at the scene of the shooting, to supply signage for a property they were developing," lawyer Richard Mitry said in a statement.

"They had paid for that signage, but the work had not yet been done."

The surviving brothers were taken to Liverpool Hospital, where one required emergency surgery. Both are now in a stable condition.

image copyright AP image caption Photographs on Monday showed heavily armed police surrounding the signage business, and what appears to be a body underneath a white sheet on the sidewalk

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