Victoria

Mourners scarce at funeral of suspected underworld 'snitch' Pasquale Barbaro

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In life, Pasquale Barbaro was surrounded by gangsters, bikies, bodyguards and all the flash trappings that come with a life spent in organised crime.

But fewer than 30 mourners attended the funeral of the notorious underworld figure in Melbourne's north on Wednesday, almost a month after he was gunned down in a Sydney street.

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Unlike the traditional Melbourne gangland funeral, there was no gilded casket, muscle-bound pallbearers or extravagant displays of affection from men more notorious for their propensity for violence.

​Two women believed to be Barbaro's mother and former wife were consoled by friends outside the Coburg funeral home as the small gathering quickly dispersed.

According to a Melbourne underworld source, the modest turn-out at Barbaro's funeral can be attributed to rumours he had breached the underworld creed by assisting a police investigation into a string of recent underworld killings in Sydney.

The 35-year-old was murdered the night before a Sydney court was to be played phone intercepts of Barbaro speaking to the head of street gang Brothers For Life, Farhad Qaumi.

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The intercepts formed part of the evidence against Qaumi, who is accused of organising the shooting death of Sydney construction industry figure and standover man Joe Antoun at Strathfield in 2013.

A memorial service for Barbaro in the Sydney suburb of Leichhardt on November 24 was also a forlorn affair, with fewer than 20 mourners paying their respects.

Speculation that Barbaro had become an informer had swept through the underworld and polarised his family.

A day after the murder, a member of the Barbaro clan posted on facebook: "Ill go to hang a piss on his tomb stone and piss on his mates that still wont believe he a snitch".

An associate responded: "The don has spoken."

It is understood the slain father-of-two is to be cremated and interred at Melbourne General Cemetery.

Several members of the Barbaro crime dynasty are serving long prison sentences and were unable to attend Pasquale's funeral on Wednesday.

Two others - by the same name - met the same bloody fate. 

Pasquale 'Peter' Barbaro, 58, was stabbed and shot in Brisbane in 1990 as his new wife begged for his life. Pasquale 'Little Pat' Barbaro was gunned down in a van next to underworld figure Jason Moran in 2003 as his children cowered in the back seat.

Barbaro's younger brother Rossario was arrested in Queensland in 2014 after police allegedly found over 36 kilograms of ice in his car. His attempt to get bail last year failed after police raised his "appalling criminal history", which included 30 convictions.

Another family member, also called Pasquale, was sentenced to 30 years in prison over the importation of 15 million ecstasy tablets, concealed in cans of tomatoes, with a street value of at least $122 million. A further 100 kilograms of cocaine was also found stuffed in bags of coffee beans after raids by the Australian Federal Police.