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An 85 year-old man has been denied bail after he was charged with shooting with intent to murder, following a dispute with his strata manager in Sydney's south west last Thursday.
Tensions at the strata meeting are said to have boiled over when Ilie Istudor allegedly shot 66 year-old strata manager Stephen Smith in the neck with what is believed to be a shortened .22 calibre Maine rifle on the landing of the small block of flats in Lakemba, where Mr Istudor resides.
Mr Istudor, who has been described by neighbours as a quiet man who often picked up litter in the gardens, is recovering from a fractured skull and other broken bones in hospital after falling down the stairs during the incident. Mr Smith is recovering in hospital from injuries that were not considered life threatening.
Mr Istudor was arrested and charged with shooting with intent to murder, and possessing an unregistered firearm and ammunition without authority.
Police have said that although the incident is still at an early stage of its investigation, it is believed the older man shot the younger man during the strata meeting in the common area of the building.
Fairfax Media has reported that one resident, Mercedes Bush, who owns a unit in the block, was one of seven owners who attended the strata meeting on Thursday. She claims that during the meeting the owners voted to "get rid of him [the strata manager]".
Ms Bush, who was allegedly standing between the manager and Mr Istudor when the shooting occurred, told Fairfax the owners had been unhappy with the strata manager for several years, and had even made an application to a tribunal to terminate his services.
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