Anti-corruption cops failed ‘incompetently’ to protect witness Terry Hodson, wife: ex-detective
Witness Terry Hodson and his wife Christine were murdered because police protection for them was incompetent, distinguished ex-homicide detective Charlie Bezzina told the Lawyer X inquiry.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A former homicide investigator said anti-corruption police had “incompetently” failed to protect a witness killed before he gave evidence on allegedly crooked cops.
Charlie Bezzina, who spent 18 months as the lead investigator on the still unsolved gangland killings of informer Terry Hodson and his wife Christine, said he believed senior police were running a shadow investigation into the killings behind his back.
Mr Hodson had provided information that his police handlers Paul Dale and David Miechel were involved in a drug house robbery he had committed just eight months before he was killed, Mr Bezzina said.
The two detectives were initially suspects in the slaying.
LAWYER X: GOBBO DIARIES MAY BE KEY
GOBBO ‘SPIED ON GANGLAND GUESTS AT PARTY’
LAWYER X: MOKBEL OFFERED TO TURN SNITCH
Mr Bezzina told the Lawyer X Royal Commission he had “words” with Ethical Standards Department officers on the night of the May 2004 killings for failing to provide adequate measures to protect Hodson.
“It was a bit of a cluster by the ESD,” Mr Bezzina said.
“I had words with them on the night of the scene.
“I was annoyed to the fact as to why did they leave Hodson to his own devices?
“He didn’t want to go to police protection but they allowed him to set up his own video surveillance and one of the pertinent points was why didn’t you set up you own surveillance unbeknown to Hodson and that was a big issue for me.
“It was either the fact that they had no money to do it, but that to me was incompetent.”
The Royal Commission had earlier heard Gobbo was vital in convincing Terry Hodson to turn witness against his handlers — Dale and Miechel — over the Dublin St burglary in 2003. Hodson gave information to Ceja Task Force head Peter De Santo, which was investigating corrupt members of Victoria Police’s drug squad.
The burglary charges against Dale were dropped after the murder of Hodson.
Counsel assisting the Royal Commission Chris Winneke asked Mr Bezzina if he knew that Gobbo had dinner with Andrew Hodson on the night before his parents were killed.
He said he didn’t know but confirmed Andrew was at one time a suspect in his parents’ murder.
Mr Bezzina told the Lawyer X Royal Commission he was kept at “arms lengths” from Ceja’s and ESD’s dealings with Terry Hodson’s before his killing.
He also believed he was not given the resources to investigate such a major incident of police corruption.
He said he later formed the view this was because Crime Command Assistant Commissioner Simon Overland — who became Chief Commissioner — was running his own investigation into the killings.
“The fact it involved major police corruption, to leave it to me to investigate along with the other murders I had to investigate, I gave it some thought as to why that was that but I just go on with the job.
“Things I learnt in hindsight it becomes clear to why that was going on.
“I formed a view, down the track, that Overland was running his own investigation behind my back, leading the investigation.”
He said he was left in the middle between the Ceja Taskforce and ESD and not given the information to properly conduct his investigation.
“I was involved in trying to get information from ESD and trying to get information from Ceja, I felt that I was left stranded.”
Mr Bezzina interviewed Gobbo as part of his investigation, he said, because she had represented was known to be Tony Mokbel’s lawyer.
Mr Bezzina said investigators had information Mokbel had some involvement in the case.
He told the inquiry Gobbo was more than a barrister and mixed socially with her clients
He said he told Gobbo during the interview she was among the “criminal element running with the foxes and hunting with the hounds.”
He said he recalled seeing Gobbo in Mick Gatto’s car when he saw the Carlton crew boss leaving the Melbourne Magistrates Court in 2008.
He said shortly after his role in the Hodson investigation ended he was shifted to a “paper shuffling” role at the Purana Taskforce.
Mr Bezzina said Mr Overland had a policy of moving homicide sergeants to other teams in the crime command, which he did not agree with.
“We being the homicide team leaders were a thorn in (Overland’s) side because we stood up to him.”
Paul Dale and hitman Rod Collins were charged with the slayings after drug boss Carl Williams provided information he had helped arrange Terry Hodson’s murders.
The charges were dropped when Williams was killed in Barwon prison in 2010.