Moreed Noor: Perth crime boss nabbed in Colombia went on trial for murder, jury told he ‘joked’ about killing

The alleged crime kingpin accused of running a significant underground syndicate in WA while living a life of luxury in Colombia once joked in a jail cell about fatally stabbing another man in the neck, a murder trial jury was told. As revealed by The West Australian on Wednesday, Perth man Moreed Noor was arrested in Colombia in July after an extraordinary secret sting by WA Police, the Office of the Attorney-General of Colombia and Australian Federal Police. It can now also be revealed that the 36-year-old once spent more than a year behind bars on remand charged with murdering 20-year-old Asamh Manyang during a street brawl in Mirrabooka in 2010. In a Supreme Court trial in 2011, prosecutors alleged that a series of clashes had erupted between a carload of men — including Mr Noor’s brother — and a group of pedestrians after something struck the vehicle on Australis Avenue. Fights broke out between the groups — using fists, tree branches and pieces of brick — but had calmed down by the time a second carload of men, which included Mr Noor, arrived. Mr Noor was alleged to have got out of the vehicle and chased Mr Manyang with a knife before stabbing him in the neck. The jury was told that Mr Manyang fell down before getting back up, staggering down a laneway and collapsing on a front lawn. Mr Manyang had 11 wounds on his body, including injuries to his collar bone, back, buttocks and arm. During the trial, prosecutors claimed Mr Noor had “confessed” to the murder to a friend in prison, telling him: “I did it. I killed him. I did it. It was me.” However, he then changed his mind and said he was “joking”. Mr Noor maintained his innocence and a witness who was with him on the night testified that he was trying to protect his brother and did not intend to kill anyone. A jury agreed, acquitting Mr Noor of murder — sparking emotional scenes in the courtroom with members of Mr Manyang’s family screaming out and bursting into tears. When the courtroom was asked to stand for Justice Ralph Simmonds to leave, one woman appeared to faint. Mr Noor, who was also wiping away tears, was led from the courtroom a free man as security tried to calm Mr Manyang’s family. Outside court, defence lawyer Jeremy Scudds said that Mr Noor had maintained his innocence and felt sorry for Mr Manyang’s family. He said Mr Noor was looking forward to getting on with his life and spending time with his mother, who was too distressed to visit him in jail. “He has been away since April last year, it’s been a long time and he hasn’t seen his mum,” Mr Scudds said. Twelve years later, Mr Noor again faces the prospect of being locked up again — this time in a notorious Colombian jail — after local authorities charged him with money laundering and proceeds of crime offences. Police allege he was living a life of luxury with wealth that could not be justified. More than $1 million in assets linked to Mr Noor have been seized, including a four-storey mansion in its final stages of construction in an exclusive area of Medellin. An apartment, 10 cars — including luxury armoured SUVs — a butchery business premises, three Colombian registered companies, a speed boat and a Harley-Davidson were also seized.