Anthony Perre could face legal sanctions following conviction
Prominent northern suburbs lawyer Anthony Perre — the son of NCA bombing accused Domenic Perre — could be struck off following an investigation by the state’s legal watchdog Greg May.
Law and Order
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An investigation by the state’s legal watchdog into the criminal conduct of prominent northern suburbs lawyer Anthony Perre – the son of accused NCA bomber Domenic Perre – is in its final stages.
The Advertiser understands Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner Greg May is seeking a legal opinion from an interstate Queen’s Counsel on his investigation that is likely to determine any action.
Mr Perre, who owns Perre Legal at Salisbury, could face disciplinary action – including being struck off – following the lengthy LPCC investigation.
It is understood while the investigation focused on Mr Perre’s conviction for stealing electricity to grow cannabis, it is also examining the scale of a concealed cannabis grow room hidden under a shed on his property.
It is understood an interstate silk is being sought to review the investigation because of the difficulty finding a local silk who has not had some form of legal involvement with the Perre family.
The LPCC investigation was launched in mid-2017 following a police raid on Mr Perre’s Waterloo Corner Rd property that resulted in him facing charges of electricity theft, possessing drug growing equipment and possessing military ammunition.
When detectives raided the address they examined a locked shed equipped with an alarm and video surveillance cameras. A secret trapdoor was discovered concealing an elaborate grow room. It contained a large quantity of plant nutrients and equipment used in hydroponic cultivation.
Detectives searched another shed and found large locked boxes. They contained more than 45,000 rounds of ammunition, weighing 750kg.
Detectives also seized 10 firearms, including rifles and handguns, which were registered and secured. A search of the house revealed electricity had been diverted to power the underground bunker.
In Elizabeth Magistrates Court in April 2017, Mr Perre pleaded guilty to diverting electricity and possessing prescribed equipment for growing cannabis and was convicted and fined $1400.
Several months later, police dropped the charges relating to the ammunition because the difficulty in the definition of military ammunition made securing a conviction unlikely.
However, Perre’s gun licence was stripped by SA Police under the fit and proper persons test. While his weapons were handed back and subsequently sold by him, the cache of ammunition was seized by SA Police. The Advertiser understands that following Mr Perre’s conviction then Director of Public Prosecutions Adam Kimber SC took the unprecedented step of writing to Mr May urging him to examine Perre’s conduct and the disrepute it had brought on the legal profession.
Mr May has the power to investigate the behaviour of a lawyer’s non-work-related conduct under laws introduced following the Eugene McGee hit-run case, in which the prominent lawyer struck cyclist Ian Humphrey with his car and then left the scene.
Mr Perre declined to comment when contacted by The Advertiser.
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