Kiteau Tatafu allegedly abducted Peter Vuong and tortured him for $5m ransom in Belmore

A man took a photo of himself holding a gun that was used to violently abduct a man and torture him for a multimillion-dollar ransom, according to police allegations.

Kiteau Tatafu appeared in the NSW Supreme Court via audiovisual link on Thursday to make a bid for bail after spending six months behind bars on remand.

Police allege the 21-year-old was one of six men who abducted Sydney resident Peter Vuong from his home in western Sydney at 5.20am on March 9.

The group of men allegedly stormed the Smithfield home with a sledgehammer and a gun and forced Mr Vuong into the back of a vehicle.

Police allege they drove him about 18km to a rundown house in Belmore, where they held him hostage for six days.

During that time, police claim his captors tortured the 26-year-old and forcibly removed his teeth.

Mr Tatafu and his five alleged co-offenders attempted to extort $5m from Mr Vuong’s family and friends to secure their victim’s release, according to the police allegations.

On Thursday, the NSW Supreme Court was told Mr Tatafu had a photo on his mobile phone of himself holding a gun with the caption “payday got me like”.

Crown prosecutor Jade Pearson claimed the firearm was the same one used to kidnap Mr Vuong and hold him hostage for six days.

However, Mr Tatafu’s barrister AJ Karim conceded there were “some similarities” between the photos but noted there were vertical grooves on one firearm that were not visible on the other.

“It can’t be said it’s the same gun,” he said.

“It can’t be said that’s a real gun either.”

Ms Pearson said police had found Mr Tatafu’s DNA and fingerprints on two items inside the vacant house where Mr Vuong was violently attacked for several days.

However, Mr Karim told the court that his client had previously had “an association” with the Belmore property, so the forensic evidence could be “equally consistent with innocence”.

Police allege calls from Mr Tatafu’s mobile phone also placed him in the Belmore area for multiple days during Mr Vuong’s alleged captivity.

Encrypted messages sent to his alleged co-conspirators established that the 21-year-old had contributed “some element of planning” to the abduction, the Crown prosecutor argued.

CCTV footage allegedly shows him in a car with his co-accused Lolo Liavaa at a McDonald’s only 1km away from the hostage house on March 10.

Four days later, Mr Tatafu was allegedly captured on CCTV entering the Belmore property while wearing a distinctive jumper that had one long sleeve and one short sleeve.

Ms Pearson said images retrieved from Mr Tatafu’s phone show him wearing the exact same top that police had seized from his home after his arrest.

Yet Mr Karim argued it was hard to distinguish details in the CCTV footage captured from a nearby Belmore home.

“They look more like they’re wearing ninja suits. You cannot tell who those individuals are,” he said.

Mr Karim argued the Crown case against his client appeared “overwhelming” and similar to the hit film Reservoir Dogs, but it contained “inherent flaws” upon closer inspection.

The defence barrister asked Justice Natalie Adams to grant his client bail so he could attend a rehabilitation centre in Swan Bay under strict supervision.

The court was told the Connect Global facility would provide a bed for a six-month program, but Mr Tatafu would likely have to wait another year before he could proceed to trial.

Ms Pearson opposed bail due to the risk the 21-year-old would fail to appear in court, commit a serious offence or endanger the community after the rehabilitation period.

Justice Adams characterised the Crown case against Mr Tatafu as “reasonably strong” and said the young man appeared to have “gone off the rails”.

She will hand down her decision about his bail on September 18.

Mr Tatafu has been charged with aggravated break and enter, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and demanding property with menace.

His co-accused Sunia Tu Ineau Junior Siasau, John Totau Fahamokioa, Viliami Siasu, Valali Tonga and Mr Liavaa remain before the courts.

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