Video captures cafe meeting where building executive was allegedly delivered a $6m threat

Four burly men surround a construction executive at a table outside a Melbourne cafe to deliver a $6 million message, allegedly part of an extortion plot.

A video, played in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, shows one of the group point out the security camera that captures the December 2024 meeting at Flemington’s Mama Bear Cafe before Amir Teymoori is accused of threatening to kill a major Victorian developer’s manager.

“I’m going to f--- you up and your family,” Teymoori allegedly tells the man.

Audio from the vision is muffled by the wind, but a man can be heard swearing and saying: “Are you gonna pay me or not?”

Teymoori can be seen covering his mouth as he talks before shouting at the construction firm director.

Daniel Van Camp also speaks, taking off his sunglasses to tell the alleged victim: “This is not going away.”

The 52-year-old is the son of John Van Camp, a prominent former union boss turned industrial relations manager at Grocon – one of Australia’s biggest private building companies before it collapsed in 2020.

Gazanfer Bekirovski sits at the end of the table and only briefly speaks to the construction firm manager, at one point tapping him on the arm.

Travers Grubb does not appear to speak at all, tapping his foot for much of the meeting.

But the construction manager, whose identity is suppressed for his safety, told the court the message from Teymoori was clear.

The four men appeared at a two-day preliminary hearing charged with making unwarranted demands.

But in a blow to police trying to clean up the construction industry, the case against Van Camp, Bekirovski and Grubb was dismissed as magistrate Stephen Ballek found insufficient evidence they were complicit with Teymoori’s alleged threat.

Prosecutors allege Teymoori made an unwarranted demand for $6.6 million, claiming to have bought the alleged victim’s company industrial peace with the CFMEU.

The firm denies ever hiring Teymoori, and police say his claim to be a union mediator is false.

Another video clip shown on Wednesday, and also released to this masthead by the court, reveals notorious ex-bikie Jonny “Two Guns” Walker attended an office in Cremorne in Melbourne’s inner east in October 2024 with Van Camp, Bekirovski and Teymoori as the latter sought millions from a developer.

Walker has not been charged over the alleged extortion or mentioned in court. The Age contacted him to ask why he appeared in CCTV, but he did not respond.

Teymoori’s barrister, Damian Sheales, suggested the alleged extortion victim lied at one point in a fiery cross-examination on Tuesday.

The construction manager, however, maintained Teymoori told him at the Racecourse Road cafe two years ago: “I would f--- you up.”

“It was said in the context of ‘if you don’t have your money, I’m going to f--- you up and your family’,” the witness said. “There was no ambiguity.”

The court heard Teymoori brought up mothers and religion during the meeting now at the centre of the case against him.

“The contact was unwelcome,” the alleged extortion victim said. “It’s not normal course to have four people approach you in the street in that manner.”

Teymoori faces an additional charge of trying to obtain property by deception at the Cremorne office building on October 28, 2024.

Police allege he sent an invoice to the construction company demanding payment he wasn’t owed. He turned up to the firm’s headquarters and asked to see managers about his claim, the court heard.

Teymoori pleaded not guilty after being committed to stand trial and will reappear at the County Court in November.

Van Camp, Bekirovski and Grubb patted him on the back as they left court cleared of all charges.

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Lachlan Abbott is a crime reporter at The Age. He was previously a city reporter and covered breaking news.Connect via email.