Office workers rallied to halt axe attack, court told

Rex Martinich | April 27, 2023

An attempted murder trial has been told workers from nearby offices rushed into a car park after hearing screaming and cries for help.

Workcover Queensland staff came in from the street or downstairs from their Brisbane CBD office to help a young woman being attacked by a man wielding a hatchet.

Others from neighbouring buildings also ran to the scene just after 5pm on July 1, 2020

Former security guard Cameron Turgay Bardak faced the third day of his trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading not guilty to attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend Maria Buci as she left work at a law firm.

Bardak, then 29, had pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Buci, then 27, whose finger was struck by a hatchet during the attack.

Workcover head of stakeholder engagement Matthew James Bannan testified that he met his partner, Elizabeth Raw, on the street outside the car park when he “heard what sounded like a cry for help”.

Mr Bannan said he and Ms Raw got back into the lift to the multi-storey car park.

“I saw a man on top of (Ms Buci) with his hands on her. He had a hand on her neck,” he said.

Mr Bannan said he and others were able to loosen Bardak’s grip, allowing Ms Buci to flee but Bardak broke free and chased her down.

“I called out to work colleagues, ‘get in and help’,” Mr Bannan said.

“He had his hands around her neck … he was very forceful and you could see tension in his arms.

“She was still standing but wasn’t moving much … like she was passing out.”

Ms Raw testified that she helped Ms Buci get to the elevator after multiple people were able to free her for a second time.

“I … hit the ground floor button,” Ms Raw said.

“Just as the doors closed I yelled to let everyone know she was safe.”

The jury on Wednesday heard testimony from the first bystander on the scene, Workcover IT manager David Keith Sturgess, who was leaving the car park on an e-scooter when he heard screams and turned back.

Bardak used his hatchet to strike Mr Sturgess on the hand, causing a cut that later required stitches despite him wearing riding gloves.

Mr Strugess said he was unaware of the injury at the time.

“I hit the back of of his head and punched him in the kidneys but it had no effect; he wasn’t doing anything but trying to strangle her,” Mr Sturgess said

Under cross-examination from Bardak’s barrister, Matthew Hyne, multiple witnesses agreed that one of those times the defendant grabbed Ms Buci could have involved a “chokehold” using the crook of his elbow rather than his hands.

The witnesses variously testified that Bardak either said nothing to them or told them to kill him or complained that he could not breathe.

Menswear store manager Fouad Kouzi testified that Bardak looked at Ms Buci while choking her with both hands and told her “I’m going to kill you” and maintained his memory was correct when cross-examined by Mr Hynes.