NCA bombing: Longtime suspect Domenic Perre in hospital after found guilty of murder and attempted murder
NCA bomber Domenic Perre remains at the RAH after he fainted following his conviction on Thursday. See how the victims reacted to the stunning verdict.
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NCA bomber Domenic Perre remains in hospital after collapsing on being found guilty of the infamous crime – following 28 years of speculation, an 11-month trial and nine months of deliberation.
On Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Kevin Nicholson ruled the longtime NCA bombing suspect had murdered Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and attempted to murder lawyer Peter Wallis, having considered the evidence since September last year.
He said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Perre had constructed and sent the bomb with the intention of killing Detective Sergeant Bowen.
The verdict after a trial by judge alone ended one of the longest investigations in South Australian history but will not be the final word on Perre’s case.
Perre himself, wearing an arm sling and sporting a long grey beard, showed no visible reaction. However, shortly afterwards he fainted in the court’s underground cells and was rushed to the RAH, where he remains. The court heard during the trial that Perre had a long history of chronic illnesses.
Perre’s defence counsel told The Advertiser they intend to appeal the decision “all the way up to the High Court if necessary”.
REACTIONS TO THE VERDICT
The long-awaited verdict split the capacity public gallery down the middle as one spectator shouted “piece of shit, dog”.
On one side, the victims’ families smiled, nodded and exchanged handshakes and hugs with SA Police detectives who have worked for three decades to solve the case.
On the other side, members of the tight-knit Perre family were visibly upset, comforting one another as they wept.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said on Friday he didn’t know much about Perre’s condition, but confirmed authorities were taking safety precautions.
“Active security arrangements are in place to ensure Mr Perre does not serve as a threat to anyone,” he said.
“The events over 20 years go caused a lot of heartache and it’s a great relief to see Mr Perre finally being brought to justice.”
Perre will be under active watch in hospital until he is in a condition to be transferred to a high-security facility.
Outside court, police and victims told of their relief at finally seeing justice served after 28 years.
Mr Wallis’ daughter, Genevieve, paid tribute to her beloved father – who passed away in 2018 from natural causes.
“His life was inconceivably changed by the events of March 1, 1994. As a result of the bombing, Dad lost his great mate Geoff, his career was cut short and he battled daily with the profound physical and emotional scars,” she said.
“There is no doubt he was a different person in the aftermath of the bombing … as a lawyer and as a human, he valued truth and justice above all else.”
She said she and her family were grateful to SA Police for their persistence, and to have been alongside Sergeant Bowen’s family for the verdict.
A statement was also read on behalf of Sergeant Bowen’s widow, Jane Bowen-Sutton, and their family, also thanking police and prosecutors.
“This crime was, and remains, unprecedented in its violence against law enforcement in Australia – justice has been served today,” it read.
“Today’s guilty verdict will allow us to move forward, knowing the individual who caused Geoffrey’s death – among other serious crimes – has finally been convicted.”
One of Sergeant Bowen’s former NCA colleagues welcomed the verdict “after almost three decades of torment”. “Twenty-eight years is a long time, but there’s no time limit for a court to deliver the right verdict,” he said.
Key prosecution witness Allan Chamberlain, who attended court carrying a large metal briefcase and under heavy police escort, said he was happy the verdict brought closure to the families.
SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said the verdict “vindicates the unrelenting effort of SA Police and investigators across Australia”.
“It’s a testament to the investigating efforts of so many people who’ve been involved over the years,” he said.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the efforts that went into making sure we got ... a positive result for what was a complex and protracted investigation.”
Major Crime Investigation Branch boss Detective Superintendent Des Bray said the grief endured by the victims’ families, over decades, was “unimaginable”.
He thanked witnesses who “had the courage to come forward” and provide evidence against Perre, including 220 calls made to Crimestoppers.
“(The verdict) doesn’t do anything to diminish the loss, pain and suffering the families have, or (restore) everything Geoff missed as a result,” he said.
“Today, Domenic heads off to what will be a life sentence for these crimes, and South Australia is a safer place.”
Perre’s son Anthony – who himself faced court on Wednesday on a speeding charge – said he “could not be confident” of any appeal “until counsel has read the judgment”. Asked how his father was in the wake of the verdict, he replied: “I don’t know.”
PROOF OF GUILT
Justice Nicholson said Perre’s guilt was “the only rational conclusion” he could draw from the evidence, and he had excluded the possibility that any other person had “knowing involvement” in the bombing.
He said Perre had:
■ Demonstrated a keen interest in high explosives and experimented with homemade bombs;
■ Access to all components of the parcel bomb, including a hard-to-obtain detonator;
■ Expressed an intention to “get” someone with “a postpak kind of thing”;
■ Been motivated to cause harm to the NCA and specifically Sergeant Bowen;
■ Cleaned his shed after the bombing “at a level of obsession strongly indicative of a fear” that forensic evidence could be found.
“I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt … that Domenic Perre intended to kill Geoffrey Bowen,” Justice Nicholson said. “I am satisfied it is the only rational inference available on all the evidence.”
DECADES OF INVESTIGATION
Perre, 65, is currently serving a seven-year prison term for drug offending.
He has long denied any responsibility for the parcel bomb that killed Sergeant Bowen and severely injured Mr Wallis on March 1, 1994.
Though he was arrested and charged soon after the incident, prosecutors ultimately discontinued their case citing no reasonable prospect of securing convictions.
A subsequent coronial inquest, however, ruled Perre was most likely the bomber, and Major Crime detectives never stopped investigating the case.
Perre was arrested for a second time in March 2018.
‘DRIVEN BY HATRED’
Perre’s trial began in October 2020 and concluded almost 12 months later, in September 2021.
Prosecutors tendered 26 years’ worth of evidence which, they alleged, amounted to proof beyond reasonable doubt that Perre was responsible for the explosion.
They alleged he was driven by hatred of police, and of Sergeant Bowen in particular, over the discovery and destruction of a $20 million drug crop.
The bomb, they alleged, was constructed from a simple hobby electronics kit and red phosphorous – meaning it avoided metal detectors and all but disintegrated upon explosion.
They detailed extensive police surveillance of Perre after the bombing, including an undercover operation in 1995.
Prosecutors alleged that, during his years in prison, Perre confessed his involvement in the bombing to other inmates.
‘CONGA LINE’ OF INFORMANTS
Perre’s defence counsel argued the case against their client bore little difference to the allegations that had been dropped in the 1990s.
The only change, they argued, was “a conga line” police informants looking to claim reward money for helping secure Perre’s conviction.
They said nothing could be found in Perre’s home linking him to the bombing – and suggested key witness Allan Chamberlain was the actual bomber.
Perre’s lawyers argued the overall lack of forensic evidence tendered meant “anybody in the Commonwealth of Australia” could have been the bomber.
They further argued Detective Sergeant Bowen’s “antagonistic” manner of investigating his caseload generated an “innumerate” amount of plausible suspects.
THE GADGET MAN
Nicknamed “Gadget”, Allan Chamberlain was a self-taught gunsmith who once shot himself in the chest to demonstrate the effectiveness of a bulletproof vest he designed.
He met Perre through the Central Firearms gun shop and said he agreed to store his friend’s guns, detonators and library of books about weapons and security techniques in his stable.
In his evidence, Mr Chamberlain admitted feeling “guilt by association” and under “duress” and “psychological threat” when repeatedly interviewed by police.
Defence counsel, however, argued Mr Chamberlain’s income in the 1990s came from illegally upgrading semiautomatic weapons to fully-automatic fire.
That business, they claimed, was at risk of exposure in early 1994 due to ongoing NCA investigations – prompting him to co-operate with police efforts to convict Perre.
In his verdict, Justice Nicholson accepted there was “substance to the criticisms made” of Mr Chamberlain’s evidence, which was “less than frank” and “inconsistent” at times.
“Nevertheless I found him, essentially, to have given evidence honestly and to be a witness upon whom I could rely,” he said.
“To suggest that the various incidents concerning (he and) Perre were made up and calculated to deflect attention from Mr Chamberlain is to suggest a subtlety and sophistication of approach and a level of premeditation that is simply unrealistic.”
‘INTO THE FAMILY’
Another key witness, whose identity remains suppressed, served prison time with Perre in the 1990s and claimed to have been inducted into “the family” by the bombing suspect.
He claimed Perre had described the bomb to him – allowing him to draw a diagram of its composition – and called Detective Sergeant Bowen “that piece of s---”.
He further claimed Perre said he would have sent the bomb on the officer’s birthday “as a double surprise” if he “had the luxury of time”.
The informant also said Perre claimed to have sent flowers to Detective Sergeant Bowen’s widow after the bombing.
Defence counsel attacked his evidence also, asserting he had a history of dishonesty offences and mental health issues that rendered his testimony unreliable.
In his verdict, Justice Nicholson conceded it had been “challenging” to assess the informant’s credibility.
Ultimately, he found his evidence “elaborate and detailed”, and “not amenable to fabrication”.
He accepted his account was a “truthful and reliable” indication of Perre’s explanation of his intentions at the time of the bombing.
THE NEXT STEP
Under South Australian law, a person convicted of murder is sentenced automatically to life, with a non-parole period to be determined by the court.
The mandatory minimum non-parole period in SA is 20 years, applicable to crimes considered at the lower end of the scale of seriousness.
Perre’s counsel has 28 days in which to consider and file appeal papers.
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