The Canberra Comancheros leader who was killed in a vicious nightclub brawl in Civic had bail conditions lifted by the courts less than a week before the incident, finally allowing him to attend a licensed premises.
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Pitasoni Tali Ulavalu, known as "Soni", had been contesting a charge after an incident at the Southern Cross Club in January last year and through his lawyer, Peter Bevan, had sought to have restrictions lifted.
Three days later, Mr Ulavalu was dead after the wild brawl that began inside the Kokomo's nightclub around midnight on Saturday night and later spilled out into the street.
Police are remaining tight-lipped about the circumstances leading up to the fight, but it is understood that a person ejected from the club on Saturday returned later that night with others, resulting in the fatal confrontation.
Police are still to confirm what weapons were involved, or how Mr Ulavalu was attacked with such ferocity and viciousness that he died despite the best efforts of paramedics who rushed to the Bunda Street nightspot and worked desperately to revive him on the pavement in the early hours of Sunday.
Early indications are that the 48-year-old was stabbed inside Kokomo's before dying outside.
It is understood that Mr Ulavalu, who ran his own successful construction company, had been at the venue on Saturday night to celebrate a 21st birthday.
Several bunches of flowers were placed on Monday at the scene of the incident, while temporary barriers erected by police to preserve evidence remained in situ for the second straight day.
"I could only describe him [Mr Ulavalu] as a nice bloke and always very polite and friendly," Mr Bevan said.
"He turned up here to reception last Tuesday and together we discussed his case. There were kids playing together in the foyer.
"He was always quietly confident of successfully contesting the affray charge when it next went to court."
Mr Ulavalu, the Comancheros' Canberra chapter commander, had been among seven members of the gang charged with affray after the Southern Cross Club altercation last year.
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In that incident, the Comancheros members had a chance encounter with rival Nomads who said they were there for dinner.
Words were exchanged, and one of the Nomads is said to have suffered a broken nose when a scuffle ensued.
One Comanchero poured out a bottle of beer onto the Nomads' table and flicked the remnants in the direction of one of the Nomads, causing a lemon to fly across to another table.
Two of the Comancheros received fines and good behaviour orders after pleading guilty to affray.
Another was deported, while the remaining four - including Mr Ulavalu - were the subjects of a long-running hearing into charges to which they had pleaded not guilty.
Police would not offer any further comment on the progress of their investigation, nor give any indication as to whether the animosity between the Comancheros and the Nomads could have been a motive for the fatal attack on Mr Ulavalu.
