The Snitch: Det Chief Insp Jason Smith’s second DUI drama in 18 months

A Drug Squad Inspector has allegedly failed a random breath test … less than 18 months after his licence was suspended for returning a positive reading of 0.064.

A seasoned detective who was sidelined after a minor drink-driving incident in an unmarked police car looks to have been stung again.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Smith, who led some of NSW’s biggest drug investigations in recent years, including the 2016 fish market cocaine bust, had been in the bad books after the embarrassing collision in Sydney’s inner-west in July, 2019.

NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Jason Smith pictured at Sydney Police Centre in Surry Hills. Jason and his team dismantled a cocaine smuggling ring that was attempting to import $360 million worth of the drug into Australia and were arresting on Christmas Day. Picture: Toby Zerna

Smith had been driving an unmarked police car along Darling St in Rozelle when his car nudged a pedestrian walking across the road.

The pedestrian sustained only minor bruising and wasn’t taken to hospital, but it turned into quite the saga when Smith was breath-tested and returned a positive reading of 0.064. His licence was immediately suspended.

At some point he managed to get it back, but not for long.

The Drug Squad cop was caught what looks to have been about a sip of beer over the limit in Lilyfield on Friday, December 18.

Random breath testing.

The 51-year-old was pulled over for a random breath test about 8pm and allegedly returned a reading of 0.054 — a smidge over the 0.05 limit.

The Snitch hears it was the same general duties crew who pinged Smith on the first occasion. Ouch.

His licence was suspended again and he is due to face the Downing Centre Local Court in February.

It’s not clear if he will contest the reading.

WHO’S THAT LAWYER?

He’s the lawyer who ripped off his clients to the tune of $3.2 million but gets to keep his identity a secret — for now.

Appearing in the Sydney District Court just before Christmas, the legal practitioner was sentenced to eight years in jail for a long list of offences that included ripping off the elderly parents of one of the state’s sitting judges.

Which lawyer ripped off his clients to the tune of $3.2 million?

But he also got to have a non-publication order on his name until at least March.

On December 16, the man’s barrister Peter Lange convinced Judge Stephen Campbell to continue a non-publication order made in 2019 by Justice Geoff Bellew.

Justice Campbell told the court the original non-publication order was made because the lawyer was at risk of killing himself. Such orders are a big hurdle to clear given the requirements for courts to follow the principle of open justice.

“ … Given the state of the defendant’s mental health, he was at a very much heightened risk compared to the general population of suicide, if the shame that goes with publicity of his misconduct came to pass,” Justice Campbell told the court.

The lawyer had pleaded guilty to the offences and the application to prevent the publication of his identity came at a very fortunate time — the day before he was due to be sentenced in the District Court.

Given the log jam of cases listed to be heard before his, it was not known if the lawyer’s case would be completed.

So Justice Campbell placed an interim non-publication order on his name until March.

As fortune would have it, the District Court found time and sentenced him to a maximum of eight years with a non-parole period of four years and nine months.

So time is ticking.

The lawyer’s targets included retirees.

One of his victims was almost kicked out of an aged care facility before Christmas because he negotiated the sale of their property but then pocketed the money instead of paying it to Uniting Care.

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