Alleged rapist was 'killed for vengeance'

A Melbourne gigolo who thought he was a vampire was murdered by a trio out of sheer vengeance for an alleged rape, a court has heard.

Shane Chartres-Abbott, 28, was shot dead at Reservoir in June 2003 as he faced a trial for allegedly raping a woman and biting off part of her tongue.

A court has heard he told his victim he was a vampire who needed to drink blood to survive.

The woman's former partner Mark Adrian Perry and two associates, Warren Shea and Evangelos Goussis, have been charged with his murder.

Crown Prosecutor Andrew Tinney SC told the Victorian Supreme Court the three committed a notable and spectacular crime that was an attack on the criminal justice system.

"The murder was carried out for perhaps the oldest and most powerful reason - vengeance," Mr Tinney said on Thursday.

"Shane Chartres-Abbott had to pay for his actions. He had to die."

Mr Tinney said another man, who cannot be named, fired the gun.

However, he said that Goussis, 46, Shea, 42, and Perry, 46, all played a part in the killing.

"Each is as guilty of the murder of Shane Chartres-Abbott as the man who pulled the trigger," he said.

Mr Tinney said the gunman was given Mr Chartres-Abbott's address by police officer Peter Lalor.

The trial, before Justice Lex Lasry, continues.