29th July 2023
In 2018, the full High Court found – “Victoria Police were guilty of reprehensible conduct in knowingly encouraging [Gobbo] to do as she did and were involved in sanctioning atrocious breaches of the sworn duty of every police officer”.
Of course, they could not do that on their own and needed the support or involvement of Officers of the Court – Lawyers.
The Herald Sun July 27, 2023, pp1, 6-7, refers to a number of Justice figures demanding a review of the decision not to pursue charges in the Lawyer X case and notes that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd, had represented former Chief Commissioner, Simon Overland, in legal proceeding raising concerns about a serious conflict of interest. The calls for a review of the decision are supported by Senior legal officials, including a former Vice President of the Victorian Bar Council.
It should be noted that former High Court Judge, Geoffrey Nettle AC KC, has expressed serious concerns about the decision of Judd not to bring prosecutions.
The Community Advocacy Alliance Inc., (CAA), since January 2020, has published several articles on our website relating to the Lawyer X scandal, highly critical of the conduct of Gobbo and senior police involved in this fiasco and calling for those responsible to be held to account. We are in total support of the calls for an independent assessment of the evidence, and if that assessment supports the laying of charges against police or anyone else, demand that this be done expeditiously.
Only then can we, the public, be confident that justice is not only done but seen to be done.
The current status puts perpetrators above the law.
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Extracts from our articles are set out below with links to full articles.
YOUR MOVE PREMIER -LAWYER X
CAA | Jun 25, 2023, https://caainc.org.au/your-move-premier-lawyer-x/
When Law enforcement becomes law-breaking, there must be accountabilities. The continuing saga of the Lawyer-X criminality by law enforcement appears to be one of the most serious overreaches by serving police personnel in Legal History…
LAWYER X FAILURE TO PROSECUTE – AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE
CAA | Jun 22, 2023, https://caainc.org.au/lawyer-x-failure-to-prosecute-an-absolute-disgrace/
Once again, we see the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) refusing to act on clear and compelling evidence of the commission of criminal offences.
When the Special Investigator, Geoffrey Nettle AC KC, a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy, recommends prosecutions, one could reasonably think that the evidence of the commission of criminal offences must be clear and compelling…
LAWYER-X ACCUSED MUST FACE COURT
June 23, 2023, https://caainc.org.au/lawyer-x-accused-must-face-court/
The continuing saga of the Lawyer-X criminality by law enforcement appears to be one of the most serious overreaches by serving police personnel in Legal History. How can it be that nobody is going to be held accountable?
LAWYER X – IT’S NOT JUST THE COPS
CAA | Dec 6, 2020, https://caainc.org.au/lawyer-x-its-not-just-the-cops/
From the outset, it must be made clear that the CAA does not support the use of lawyer Gobbo by the Victoria Police in the way it was done; it was unlawful, and Gobbo and the executive Police responsible must be held to account before the Law…
LAWYER X – THE AFTERMATH
CAA | Sep 2, 2020, https://caainc.org.au/lawyer-x-the-aftermath/
Nobel cause corruption’ (the ends justify the means) is as unlawful as the normal interpretation of corruption. It diminishes the role of the Police in our society, as has the behaviours of the Police executive who promoted and or failed to manage the Lawyer X calamity and whose leadership was lacking throughout…
MANAGING POLICE INFORMERS LIKE GOBBO & ALLEN
CAA | Feb 9, 2020, https://caainc.org.au/managing-police-informers-like-gobbo-allen/
Failing to recognise a loss of objectivity is evident in the Gobbo matter and a damming indictment of the police executives’ lack of competence. The buck, however, stops with the Chief Commissioner and in this protracted affair, no less than four Chief Commissioners failed to resolve or wheel in this train wreck, and each of them took the same Oath to the other Police involved…
THE GOBBO SHOW ROLLS ON…
CAA | Jan 4, 2020, https://caainc.org.au/the-gobo-show-rolls-on/
Many Victorians were sceptical of the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants. As the process started, most public sentiment towards the Royal Commission was, it is a waste of time because even if the Police tactics were not kosher with lawyers, the end justified the means.
After all, we are not talking about the pillars of society, but murderers and drug lords being locked up, and that is a good thing, isn’t it?
As many Victorians have watched the evolution of this Commission, attitudes are changing…
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The community is quickly realising that the old adage, ‘whether you are a prince or pauper, saint or sinner’, we are, and should all be, equal before the Law. Although in Victoria, depending on who you are, that principle is corrupted.
Culpability must also extend to those executives that conspired to cover up the actions of this artifice, whether by use of the legal system or otherwise, that only served to extend and exacerbate the original reprehensible behaviour. In many ways, their behaviour is more reprehensible than the original architects.
They all must have known what was going on. It is fanciful to suggest that authorising or orchestrating a cover-up without knowing what you are covering up beggar’s belief.
It is also bordering on fanciful that lawyers, particularly those who conspired with Victoria Police to hide the Gobbo matters using the Courts, didn’t know what was going on. Remember that lawyers are Officers of the Court, and with that goes obligations that some may well have breached.
Equally, there are no doubt senior Police Officers, many still serving, who were totally cognisant of what was happening and the criminal and moral culpability but chose to support or take no action against the perpetrators and are therefore equally complicit.
The Police’s disgraceful and conscious dismissal of their principles in their oath of office brings great shame on them and all Victoria Police, serving, and who have served – something they will have to live with forever.
The only way to deal with this matter is to purge the culprits and give genuine Police, Lawyers and the community some reason to have confidence in the Legal system by removing this dark shadow.
We can only hope and encourage that the day of reckoning is sooner rather than later.
If the Gobbo inquiry wasnt just a stunt by Andrews to give the impression that he was concerned with the behaviour of the police as outlined by the High court etc, why then doesnt he take note of the comments of the many KC’s SC’s and the retired Chief Crown Prosecutor etc and refer the findings of Justice Nettle to an independent authority for a review. Sadly, this inquiry was just a stunt and an expensive one at that.
It is said that the justice is blind, well in Victoria it is blind, dumb and complicit. How can you have a retired High court justice make recommendations against police in this sorry saga and then have one person who has a conflict of interest, namely the DPP deny the recommendations of the hearing justice. It is clear that this farce for an inquiry was destined to yield no criminal charges and that it was always Andrews intention to give the impression that he was concerned with the conduct of Victoria Police and then not act on the recommendations. Why have a costly inquiry if there are no consequences. It is said that victoria Police command and the labor government are in bed with each other and when you have outcomes like this, it is not hard to dispute that thought
Police members sacked for Facebook posts and photos on phones. This is a disgrace that the protected high ranking current and ex members get no criminal charges. Wasted millions of dollars on royal commissions and there is no appetite for transparency and community accountability. Isn’t in the public interest to hold people accountable and value for money.
It appears that Victoria is governed by an openly corrupt, Communist style politicians led by Daniel Andrews who should be held accountable along with the DPP, Chief Commissioner and senior police. It is ludicrous to think that Andrews was not complicit in this reprehensible conduct. It is only when accountability is afforded to politicians and senior police etc, that the Australian public can have any confidence in our legal system.