Stephen Zappia had been smoking with Akoteu before the fight at the Blarney Stone hotel. He said he saw Akoteu allegedly punching Mr Aguiar, as well as other punches being thrown and the tourist falling after possibly being punched by a person he believed was called ''Jacob''. He heard Akoteu utter the remark, but did not see the alleged stomping. Mr Zappia said yesterday that as Mr Aguiar lay bleeding, he drove Akoteu and two other men later charged with Mr Aguiar's murder to Crown Casino ''to make sure no other trouble happened there''. ''If you were there you would have heard everyone screaming and yelling and people were walking towards them,'' he told the Melbourne Magistrates Court. Akoteu, 22, Jacob Palutele, 22 and Sioeli Seau, 19, are charged with Mr Aguiar's murder and are facing a contested committal hearing. Mr Aguiar, who had dual Australian and Canadian citizenship, died in hospital six days after the attack.

Mr Zappia told investigators that as he drove to the casino, one of the three men, whom he identified as ''Chris'', told another: ''Did you like my punch, one punch KO?'' Akoteu allegedly said: ''I don't have a mark on me.'' Katherine Nguyen, a friend of Akoteu's, had asked Akoteu to come to the Blarney Stone that day. He had previously been her boyfriend for a week, but she broke up with him because he had children. By the time Akoteu arrived at the pub, Ms Nguyen had bumped into Mr Aguiar and begun drinking with him. The pair had met earlier at a nearby cafe when Mr Aguiar asked for directions to a local bar, which he left for the Blarney Stone because he did not like the atmosphere. Soon, Akoteu began stealing her drinks, the court heard.

''He was jealous because I was talking to Cain. He thought that I was his girl,'' Ms Nguyen said. ''… He [Akoteu] said 'I'm not afraid to shank him'. This expression means to me that he was going to stab him or assault him [Mr Aguiar]. I then told him to f--- off.'' Ms Nguyen went to a nearby ATM and rushed back when she heard a commotion. She said she saw Akoteu and two others fighting with Mr Aguiar and the pub bouncer, who had stepped in to break up the fight. Ms Nguyen said she saw Akoteu punch Mr Aguiar on the right side of his face. Another man then allegedly punched him on the left side. She said she saw Mr Aguiar being punched a third time on the front of his face before he fell backwards, but was unsure who threw the punch. ''I heard the crack of his head hitting the ground,'' Ms Nguyen said. ''I clearly saw Fossy stomp on his head … He was helpless to defend himself.'' The hearing continues.