Bassam Hamzy lawyer used client privilege in three-way calls to conceal jail drug empire, police allege

Major drug suppliers were given a direct line to Australia’s most high-risk inmate Bassam Hamzy because a lawyer used client privilege to join them in three-way calls where words like “lawyer” and “barrister” were used as code for drug movements, police will allege.

Major drug suppliers were given a direct line to Australia’s most high-risk inmate Bassam Hamzy because a lawyer used client privilege to join them in three-way phone calls, police will allege.

Code words like “lawyer” and “barrister” were also allegedly used to covertly discuss the movement of drugs and money in what police have labelled an “abuse of client services”.

Authorities in NSW’s highest security prison — Goulburn Supermax — could not listen in on the calls between Hamzy, the founder of the notorious Brothers 4 Life gang, and lawyer Martin Churchill as they were protected by client-solicitor privilege.

Hamzy is brought in for questioning today. Picture: NSW Police

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It was only when Homicide Squad detectives investigating the shooting murder of 15-year-old Brayden Dillon in 2017 began to look at links to Hamzy that they discovered he was allegedly running a drug trafficking operation from behind bars.

The gangland leader was charged yesterday morning with four offences, including drug supply and directing the activities of a criminal group.

It was a rare outing for the high-risk inmate, who has been in prison since the age of just 18, and is the state’s most supervised prisoner thanks to his history of reoffending. Despite this, police allege he managed to pull the strings on an ice supply operation across the Riverina and Illawarra regions, using Churchill as his message boy.

Solicitor Martin Churchill, who has been charged over an alleged drugs ring. Police do not allege he had any role in the death of Brayden Dillon. Picture: Linkedin

The solicitor was arrested at his Glebe home in Sydney’s inner west yesterday and charged with a string of offences, including drug supply.

Churchill, who runs his own firm in the CBD, has represented Hamzy’s interests in the past.

Churchill, 62, is accused of calling major drug suppliers and asking them what questions they wanted him to ask Hamzy. He would allegedly tell them to keep quiet while he dialled Hamzy in from Supermax and started the three-way call.

Churchill is also accused of passing on Hamzy’s instructions to people outside jail and directing the supply of 452.8g of ice between October 2017 and February last year.

Homicide Squad Acting Superintendent Mark Henney said the organisation of the drug syndicate was facilitated by “communications” with Hamzy’s solicitor.

“This investigation has uncovered the abuse of client-solicitor communications in order to organise criminal activities, in particular, the supply of drugs outside of the jail complex,” Supt Henney said.

Hamzy's cell in Super Max.

It will also be alleged Hamzy and Churchill used “lawyers” and “barristers” as code words for suppliers when discussing the movement of money. One of the criminals involved in the three-way calls was an alleged supplier for the Brothers 4 Life Illawarra chapter, sources have confirmed­.

The Criminal Groups Squad began investigating the Wollongong-based group in late 2017 after it went to war with the Finks bikie gang. At the helm of the group was Damien Featherstone, an allegedly violent figure who converted to Islam in jail.

Questioned … Bassam Hamzy.

Killed … Brayden Dillon.

According to court documents in Churchill’s case, the solicitor facilitated the supply of $4000 to Featherstone in a bid to help him avoid arrest on firearm charges in February 2018. Both Churchill and Hamzy have also been charged with hindering the arrest of someone who committed a serious offence.

A 49-year-old woman, Bronwyn Brown, was arrested in Wagga Wagga and charged with participating in a criminal group and supplying 400g of ice in the Riverina region. She appeared before Wagga Local Court and was refused bail to reappear today.

Dressed in a blue long-sleeved shirt, Churchill briefly appeared in the dock of Newtown Local Court representing himself and did not apply for bail yesterday. He confirmed to the magistrate he was a lawyer and wished to have the matter stood over without making a bail application. The case was adjourned until August 28.

Hamzy was transferred to Goulburn police station from his Supermax cell. Picture: Gary Ramage

Meanwhile in Goulburn Local Court, Hamzy, who fancies himself as a bush lawyer, represented himself via audio visual link. “I’ll be suing them for malicious prosecution and be making an application for abuse of process,” he said, dressed in an orange jumpsuit.

The case was adjourned until September 11.

Neither Churchill or Hamzy were charged in connection with the murder of Brayden Dillon, who was shot dead in his Glenfield home in 2017.

Police outside the Glenfield home where Brayden was shot two years ago. Picture: John Grainger

Another of Hamzy’s former lawyers, whose name is suppressed, was charged in October last year with accessory after the fact to murder, knowingly participating in a criminal group and acting with intent to pervert the course of justice. Police allege he helped provide false witness statements on behalf of others and passed on information relating to the shooting to various people, while also smuggling a mobile phone to a jail inmate.

Churchill is a well-known criminal lawyer around the city’s courts and has also worked behind the scenes for both the Commonwealth and NSW governments.