Murder trial of alleged NCA bomber Domenic Perre to start in October
The 1994 NCA bombing case will finally go to trial in October – and the prime suspect’s lawyers, who say they need more time, have been told to “get on with their jobs”.
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The long-awaited murder trial of alleged NCA bomber Domenic Perre will finally commence in October – and will continue for at least six months.
On Friday, the Supreme Court announced Justice Kevin Nicholson will preside over the case, in the absence of a jury, following the shock departure of Justice David Lovell.
Counsel for Perre asked the trial be held off until January, saying they still had much pre-trial preparation to do.
But Justice Trish Kelly – who gave The Advertiser permission to attend the closed-court directions hearing – rejected that request.
“This is not the greatest trial of the century – just get real about it and get on with your job,” she said.
“(A January start) is not going to happen, this trial has to start this year... you had better get to work.”
Perre, 61, is accused of murdering Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and attempting to murder lawyer Peter Wallis in the March 2, 1994, explosion on Waymouth St.
He was first arrested nine days after the incident, but the charges were dropped in September 1994 when a prosecutor ruled there was “not a reasonable prospect of conviction”.
He was charged again in March 2018 – Justice David Lovell was due to hear his trial, but was forced to step aside because he once sentenced a key witness in the case.
On Friday, Gilbert Aitken, for Perre, said his client’s legal team had finally secured full-time funding from the Legal Services Commission following months of issues.
“Until now, we have been doing a lot of unpaid work and we have been working like Trojans,” he said.
“We have always maintained we need six months to prepare for trial... there are some 69 lever arch folders of evidence and an enormous amount of issues, with more arising every day.”
Justice Kelly said she was not prepared to list the trial for any date later than October.
“There’s four months between now and October – don’t tell me that’s not enough time,” she said.
She remanded Perre in custody to face court again on October 6, when the trial will commence.
It is projected to continue until April 2021.