Sydney man Jaden Tito’s holiday snaps used in murder conviction over contract killing of Gavin Preston

Holiday snaps from a young couple helped give police damning evidence they used to convict a ruthless killer.

Taken on a road trip through the NSW Central Coast, the innocent-looking pictures captured Jaeden Tito, then 22, and his girlfriend as they visited beaches, hotels and even a jewellery store.

But an injury on Tito’s left arm and a black backpack full of cash were used to link the young man to the brazen assassination of underworld figure Gavin Preston, 50, just days earlier and more than 1000km away in Melbourne.

Mr Preston was seated for breakfast with his friend Abbas Maghnie at Sweet Lulu’s cafe in Keilor when two masked and black-clad men opened fire on the pair, killing Mr Preston and critically injuring Mr Maghnie.

CCTV captured terrified patrons of the busy cafe ducking for cover as 11 shots rang out before attempting to try and render first aid to Mr Preston.

The killers then fled, leaving a trail of firebombed cars throughout surrounding suburbs.

The Victorian Supreme Court has released footage of the final movements of underworld figure Gavin Preston was shot dead in Melbourne.

This week, Tito and his co-offender Rabii Zahabe, 26, were jailed for 34 years after a jury found the pair guilty of murder and attempted murder.

The two Sydney men, who did not have any priors for violent offending, had been hired as contract killers by a mystery person to kill Mr Preston.

The underworld figure, the court was told, had only been released from prison five months earlier for shooting a man and had “amassed many enemies who might have liked to see him dead”.

“The police were provided with information that everyone, including Satan himself, wanted Gavin Preston dead,” Crown prosecutor Kristie Churchill SC said during the trial.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Michael O’Connell described the contract killing as “meticulously planned”.

The planners of the hit, he said, had knowledge of Mr Preston’s routine and placed four stolen getaway cars with cloned licence plates in surrounding suburbs to effect a quick escape.

Tito and Zahabe had laid in wait for three hours near Sweet Lulu’s cafe and gunned him down in a 10-second attack before speeding off in an Audi Q5 shortly after 10am on September 9, 2023.