NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb cleared of leaking info to Ray Hadley

Outgoing NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has been cleared of leaking the identity of a Bondi Junction stabbing victim to former radio host Ray Hadley.

Outgoing NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Outgoing NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb was investigated over allegations she leaked the identity of a Bondi Junction stabbing victim to former radio host Ray Hadley, however, she was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Mr Hadley confirmed to The Daily Telegraph he spoke to Ms Webb on the night of the Bondi Junction tragedy after his friend of 30 years, John Singleton rang and said he feared his daughter Dawn may be one of the victims.

“He pleaded with me to try and find out, and after ringing a few people who couldn’t help I got in contact with Karen Webb and we spoke on the phone,’’ Hadley said on Tuesday.

“I told her I was ringing on behalf of John Singleton who said he thought his daughter may be a victim. She said something like ‘on my god that’s horrible’,” the former broadcaster said.

Former radio host Ray Hadley. Picture Thomas Lisson

Hadley said Webb replied “I can’t release names’’, but he said he was asking on behalf of Singleton if his daughter Dawn was a victim.

“She said basically that you wouldn’t be wrong. I then had to make the worst call of my life and tell John that his daughter was gone,” he said.

“Why would I ring and tell him his daughter was dead if I wasn’t sure?’’ he said.

Australian businessman John Singleton. Picture: 60 Minutes

Hadley said he never told anyone else, never mentioned it to anyone in the media and that the whole conversation as far as he was concerned was him acting as an intermediary for the Singleton family and not as a media representative.

“My wife Sophie witnessed all the calls, from John to Karen and said I was pacing around the room the whole time before I had to break the news to John,’’ he said.

Hadley also confirmed that he has not been approached by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

On 2GB on Tuesday, Ben Fordham revealed that call sparked an investigation by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission into whether Ms Webb shared information with the media, given she was “not authorised to confirm the identities of any victims”.

“Dawn’s mum was angry that Karen Webb was talking to the media about her daughter before she’s identified Dawn’s body,” Fordham said.

“That’s why Karen Webb has been investigated … she’s denied sharing the information with Ray Hadley (and) the LEC commission has accepted her version of events.”

Fordham said the LECC “never called” Hadley and “only checked one side of it”, adding the former radio host “would have told a different story”.

“Ray says when he asked if Dawn Singleton was deceased, Karen Webb said something like ‘I can’t release names but you wouldn’t be wrong’,” he said.

“It was the commissioner’s way of saying it, without saying it.”

Julie Martin, mother of Bondi victim Dawn Singleton. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Fordham said he believed you couldn’t blame anyone for the call, however, he earlier told his audience it was surprising that Webb would not be called to front the inquest into the Bondi Junction incident to represent the NSW Police.

“It is surprising given the scale of the tragedy that we’re not hearing from the commissioner,” he said.

“Yesterday it was put to me that the commissioner was avoiding giving evidence at the inquest for some reason. Karen Webb tells 2GB breakfast that she was expecting to be called, but she never got the call.”

Fordham said it was important given Dawn’s mother wanted Ms Webb to appear, having complained about the release of information only three days after the tragedy happened.

“Counsel should call the commissioner,” Fordham said.

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