Andrew Veniamin

Andrew Benjamin (Benji) Veniamin (16 November 1975 – 23 March 2004) was an Australian criminal from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. A convicted car thief, Veniamin was a key figure in the Melbourne underworld killings, suspected of both murdering seven underworld figures, and being a hit-man for the Williams crime family. Veniamin was killed by Domenic "Mick" Gatto at the La Porcella Italian restaurant in Carlton. Gatto claimed it was in self-defence following a heated argument.

Early and personal life Veniamin was born to Greek Cypriot immigrant parents, and was raised in the Western Melbourne suburb of Sunshine. From a child to his early teens, Veniamin was an altar boy at the St Andrew's Greek Orthodox Church in the neighbouring suburb of Sunshine West, where his funeral was later held.

Veniamin worked at the West Melbourne wholesale fruit and vegetable market. The church where he was made an altar boy, and where his funeral was held, was also no more than a block away from the Sunshine West house in front of which Dibra was killed.

Veniamin met with Nik Radev on 15 April 2003, the day Radev was murdered, in Coburg.

Relationship with Roberta Williams He was a close friend of Carl Williams and his wife Roberta. Although Roberta had previously rejected claims she and Veniamin were intimate, in early 2009 she admitted that he was her soulmate.

During the trial, Gatto claimed Veniamin had pulled out a .38 pistol and threatened to kill him, when they were together in an enclosed area at the back of the restaurant. There were no witnesses. Gatto claims Veniamin lost his temper after being told that "he'd rather [Veniamin] not come around near [Gatto's group of friends] at all", that Veniamin drew a gun and that during a struggle he was able to turn the gun around on Veniamin and fire one shot into his neck, and one shot into the eye. Gatto also claimed that before Veniamin lost his temper, Veniamin had implicated himself in the deaths of Dino Dibra, Paul Kallipolitis and Graham Kinniburgh; he is also believed to have killed underworld figure Victor Peirce. His funeral was held at the Greek Orthodox Church in Sunshine West, in western Melbourne, the same church where he had been an altar boy.

In popular culture In the first season of drama series Underbelly, Veniamin was portrayed by actor Damian Walshe-Howling.