The Snitch: Judge Peter Whitford returns to bench after war with DPP Sally Dowling’s office

Which judge has returned to the bench after a war with the DPP? Which high-society type got dragged through a year-long criminal case? What measures are police taking to protect Alan Jones’ accusers? The Snitch is here.

Could it be? Is there peace in the District Court? Probably not.

But Judge Peter Whitford SC has quietly returned to work following a spell of leave that came after he and a number of other judges went to war with chief prosecutor Sally Dowling SC over the quality of rape cases run by her office.

Judge Whitford was on the bench in the Sydney District Court this week for two matters.

He presided over the hearing of an accused fauna smuggler, and jailed for 13 months a man who pleaded guilty to dealing with the proceeds of crime.

Snitch first reported in July that Judge Whitford had been “removed” from criminal hearings after he launched a stinging attack on Ms Dowling’s office, prompting her to complain to the state’s judicial watchdog.

Sally Dowling SC. Picture: Gaye Gerard

In February, Judge Whitford told a costs hearing for a man found not guilty of rape that there appeared to be a “secret” policy in Ms Dowling’s office of running sexual assault cases that were doomed to fail.

In her complaint to the NSW Judicial Commission, Ms Dowling wrote that Judge Whitford’s criticisms were “baseless”.

The commission partially upheld Ms Dowling’s complaint last month, and recommended he be counselled by Chief Judge Sarah Huggett.

We’re told the saga was emotionally trying for Judge Whitford.

We now know his emotions were inflamed when it was revealed to him that Ms Dowling’s complaint delved into his private life and speculated that his views may have been influenced by his current and ex partners — both of whom are judges.

Ms Dowling “politely” declined to comment when Snitch asked her about this last month.

In May, Judge Whitford told Newcastle District Court that Ms Dowling’s complaint called into question “my fitness to hold judicial office, my competence, my impartiality and my integrity”.

GRACE BROS HEIR EXONERATED

One of the heirs to the Grace Bros fortune was dragged through a year-long court case after being charged when someone else attacked him.

Douglas Drew, 47, the grandson of the department store founders, was acquitted of an affray charge in the Downing Centre Local Court that stemmed from a fateful trip to Kings Cross McDonald’s after a night at the cricket.

Grace Bros heir Douglas Drew.

Mr Drew, who runs an IT company, had been at the Double Bay Oaks hotel watching Australia play India in November 2023 when he dropped in for a late-night fast-food fix.

However, once in the eatery he was confronted by two groups of men who had been vigorously supporting the Australian team’s opponents.

One of the men pushed Mr Drew and then another punched him in the face, causing significant bleeding from his nose.

The court was told Mr Drew did nothing to provoke the attack and did not fight back.

Yet police charged him with affray and did not charge the man who attacked him.

More than a year later, Magistrate Brett Shields dismissed the charge and questioned why Mr Drew’s attacker was not charged as well.

Mr Drew’s lawyer Cassie Sten told Snitch, “It’s a sad state of affairs that my client was dragged through the court system for that long to defend a charge that should never have been laid.”

Add to that the fact that Mr Drew lives in Byron Bay and had to fly to Sydney for multiple court appearances.

NAMELESS JONES COMPLAINANTS

Police are taking no chances when it comes to protecting the identities of the complainants who have accused broadcaster Alan Jones of offences that range from sexual touching to assault.

Not one of the complainants is named in the court papers that NSW Police lodged in court this week.

Alan Jones leaving the police station after being released on bail following his arrest in November. Picture: Dylan Coker

The court attendance notices list the charges and give a brief description of the allegation made by the police.

Usually, you can expect to see the name of the person making the allegation, despite there being blanket laws against identifying complainants in sex cases.

But in Jones’ case, the complainants have only been listed as Complainant A through to I, with no names mentioned.

UNSEND

Guess which high-level gangster is on the outer after evidence was served in his case that showed him bagging out members of his criminal syndicate?

The gangster’s identity has been suppressed by a court order, but we’re told he was able to get hold of a communication device behind bars and used it to send countless messages to people on the outside.

What he didn’t know was that police would get hold of the messages and serve them as evidence in his court case.

We’re told the gangster’s co-accused in the case now have the messages, which reveal all the unflattering things he said about them.

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