Criminal lawyer Michael Croke’s close encounter with star witness
Lawyer Michael Croke, who is on remand as he awaits sentencing after being found guilty of laundering $700k belonging to a US cocaine syndicate, found himself housed in the same section of the jail as the star witness in his case — drug cartel boss Owen Hanson.
NSW
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As if jail wasn’t tense enough, throw in the potential for an awkward meeting with someone you hate and it probably doesn’t get much worse.
This was the experience for criminal defence lawyer Michael Croke recently as he waits behind bars on remand to be sentenced after being found guilty of laundering $700,000 belonging to a US cocaine syndicate.
Croke found himself housed in the same section of the jail as the star witness in his case, who was giving evidence against him. That witness was the boss of the US drug cartel, former college football star Owen Hanson.
Hanson pleaded guilty to running the operation but got a reduced sentence when he agreed to become a rollover witness.
Hanson helped seal Croke’s fate when authorities flew him to Australia to give evidence. He was meant to be flown back after giving evidence but was stranded in Silverwater Prison thanks to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Things got decidedly awkward recently when Hanson and Croke, who is bail-refused and behind bars, found themselves being housed in the same section of the jail.
But the risk of a meeting passed after Hanson was shipped back to the US on May 21. A Correctives Services NSW spokeswoman said precautions were taken to make sure the pair didn’t cross paths.
“These inmates were strictly managed and had no contact in prison,” she said.
“They were housed 30m apart in a segregation wing, which does not allow occupants to interact.”
CROWN CONTENDERS
With Lloyd Babb SC’s term as Director of Public Prosecution ending next year, let’s cast an eye over some of the early contenders in line to take his job.
There’s several categories, so let’s call the first one the “continuity choice”, which would see current Deputy Director Peter McGrath SC bumped up to the top job. McGrath, who acted as a Crown Prosecutor on the case of Harriet Wran, would see an easy transition because he stood in for Babb when he was on extended leave recently.
We’ll put Sally Dowling SC in the “popular choice” category. She left the ODPP after a stint as the head of the appeals unit to be the counsel assisting the special commission of inquiry into the drug ice.
The first female DPP also has an appealing ring to it.
Same goes for Kara Shead SC, who was a former ODPP deputy director. Shead moved to the Public Defenders Office for a stint that was almost long enough to have a cup of coffee before she was appointed as a District Court Judge.
Crown prosecutor Tanya Smith SC is a maybe but might not have logged the flying hours. She has been filling in as the state’s Senior Crown Prosecutor while Chris Maxwell QC has been on leave.
Judge John Pickering SC would be on the maybe list given he was an ex-deputy director.
ISOLATED INCIDENT?
So is ex-High Court Judge Dyson Heydon being exposed as an alleged sex pest an isolated incident or a case study that illustrates an endemic problem in the legal world?
The developing story is showing signs of being the latter but the upper echelons of the legal fraternity clearly hope it’s the former.
A strongly worded message released by NSW Bar Association president Tim Game SC this week indicated the attitude from the legal fraternity was this is an isolated incident and not the tip of a Harvey Weinstein-sized iceberg.
Mr Game’s circular sent to barristers opened with the line: “A singular event has occurred in recent days in our profession, namely the High Court’s publication of the findings of an investigation into the conduct of Dyson Heydon AC QC while a member of that Court.”
We’d still say there are likely some worried people out there.
GOT A SNITCH? Contact ava.benny-morrison@news.com.au or brenden.hills@news.com.au
Originally published as Criminal lawyer Michael Croke’s close encounter with star witness