Lawyer X royal commissioner Margaret McMurdo slams Victoria Police for document delay
Lawyer X royal commissioner Margaret McMurdo has lashed Victoria Police once again over delays in producing over forty “critical” documents and statements.
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Lawyer X royal commissioner Margaret McMurdo has lashed Victoria Police once again over delays in producing documents and statements.
There are 11 “priority’’ statements as well as 35 other statements critical to the royal commission which are still outstanding.
Many of them were requested in March, with just 22 sitting days this year to hear from at least 20 more witnesses, including three police chief commissioners.
Some of these witnesses are expected to spend days or weeks in the witness box.
It appears Lawyer X, Nicola Gobbo, is unlikely to take the stand or produce a statement.
In a tense session this morning, Commissioner McMurdo reminded police lawyers that some of the statements had been requested more than a dozen times.
Outstanding statements yet to reach Commissioner McMurdo’s office include the force’s director of legal services Finn McRae, investigator Shane O’Connell, and Superintendent Paul Sheridan.
Mr O’Connell’s statement was due on March 27.
Victoria Police’s barrister, Renee Enbom SC, said police were “working around the clock’’.
“It has taken a significant toll on the people working on those statements and we are continuing to work around the clock, seven days a week, 12 hours a day,’’ she said.
“We can’t do anymore Commissioner.’’
She said police had prepared 100 statements in 12 months, some more than 50 pages long.
Commissioner McMurdo replied: “It doesn’t seem to me a lot of statements to be prepared in the course of 12 months. I’m sorry, Ms Enbom. Even you and your great advocacy can’t turn a sow’s ear into a silk’s purse.’’
The commission is also waiting on police to review 49 transcripts, which the media cannot get access to.
A further 278 exhibits also remain in limbo.
In May, Commissioner McMurdo likened her task in moving the commission forward to a “boxer in a fighting match with one hand tied behind his back the other bruised and bleeding.’’