Lawyer X Royal Commission: Nicola Gobbo feared Mick Gatto’s ‘messy’ infatuation
Police informer and barrister Nicola Gobbo told her handler she had lots to reveal about gangland figure Mick Gatto but was afraid he was becoming infatuated with her, the royal commission has heard.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Lawyer turned gangland snitch Nicola Gobbo was worried that Carlton Crew boss Mick Gatto had become infatuated with her, the Lawyer X Royal Commission heard.
The barrister told her police handlers she was getting close to Gatto in 2007 so she could inform on him.
Gobbo told her handler she had lots to tell him about Gatto after she had a meeting with the underworld survivor.
“She’s just come from an hour meeting with him,” a police intelligence report recorded. “She fears that he has an infatuation with her and it could get messy.’’
In 2007 Gatto was helping fund Faruk Orman’s defence against a prosecution over the 2002 murder of Victor Peirce.
After Orman’s June 2007 arrest, Gatto was forced to attend compulsory hearings where Gobbo represented him.
In a police intelligence report, read out at the commission, Gobbo’s police handlers told the barrister she could not inform on Mr Gatto and represent him at the same time.
“If she wants to represent Gatto she needs to make a decision about representing him or giving information,’’ the information report says.
Gobbo complained to handlers she was missing out on fees because of her double agent role but said her “main goal” was to get criminals locked up.
Orman was sentenced to 20 years’ prison in 2009. His conviction was quashed last month when the Court of Appeal found there was a miscarriage of justice after it was revealed Gobbo helped police convince a key witness to give evidence against her client.
The commission heard Gobbo told her handlers in November 2007 that the gangland witness, a convicted hitman, “was down” and was seriously contemplating telling detectives from the Purana Taskforce to “get f----d”.
“She thinks he needs a Purana visit to put him straight otherwise he is not in.”
The information was given to Purana Taskforce head Inspector Gavan Ryan.
MORE:
TOP COP ONCE REFUSED GOBBO AS INFORMER
MAFIA BOSSES PLAN BID FOR FREEDOM OVER SCANDAL
Mr Ryan said he was aware the hitman was getting cold feet at the time and was not sure if he had specifically acted on Gobbo’s information.
He said the witness was upset with Victoria Police over it seizing his assets and the “only card” he had to play was refusing to testify in the Orman and other cases.
“I understand this is what she was saying but we had been dealing with this for many months.”
But Mr Ryan said he accepted the decision that Gobbo’s actions in November 2007 had amounted to a miscarriage of justice.