Two men, Jaeden Tito and Rabii Zahabe, have been jailed for 34 years over the fatal shooting of Melbourne gangland figure Gavin Preston in what a judge described as a "ruthless and callous" contract killing. Victorian Supreme Court Justice Michael O'Connell sentenced the pair on Tuesday, saying the ambush showed a high degree of planning and sophistication, underscoring the seriousness with which the courts have treated Melbourne's ongoing underworld violence.

Preston, 50, was shot dead outside Sweet Lulus cafe in Keilor on 9 September 2023, when two masked men in black clothing emerged from a car and opened fire; his friend Abbas Maghnie was also wounded but survived. Tito, 25, and Zahabe, 26, had denied being the shooters, but a jury convicted them of murder in May after three days of deliberation. Zahabe will be eligible for parole after 27 years and Tito after 26, with police believing Preston had made numerous enemies before the planned attack.