Silk-Miller murder probe head says officers’ evidence ‘totally wrong’
The head of the investigation into the Silk-Miller murders has described evidence of officers under his command, who testified it was common practice to withhold information from reports and add it in later without acknowledgment, as “totally wrong”.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The head of the investigation into the Silk-Miller murders has described evidence of officers under his command as “totally wrong”.
Victoria Police Detective Superintendent Paul Sheridan told the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission he strongly disagreed with the evidence of other police witnesses who had testified it was common practice to withhold information from reports and add it in later without acknowledgment.
He also said police statements would, as a matter of course, include the descriptions of offenders.
PREVIOUSLY: COP: FALSIFIED STATEMENT A ‘SIMPLE ERROR’
POLICE SWITCHED MULTIPLE SILK-MILLER REPORTS, INQUIRY TOLD
SILK-MILLER BOSSES KNEW ABOUT DODGY STATEMENTS
Counsel assisting Jack Rush QC said homicide detectives involved in the police murder probe — codenamed Lorimer — said it was common to amend statements.
“They are both entirely wrong,’’ Supt Sheridan said.
“I can’t speak for the practice of the individual at the time … if they are erroneous in that belief. The focus is the attention to detail, not the exclusion of detail.
“There was no such practice. It’s a personal error. It is the single fault of the member concerned. I don’t know where he learnt that practice.’’
Mr Rush pointed out there was more than one detective who had employed the practice under his command.
“I believe those members, if they genuinely believe that practice is right, they must have brought that practice with them,’’ Supt Sheridan said.
He said he was aware of some “follow up work” regarding witness statements about the “dying declaration” of fatally wounded police officer Rodney Miller, who was with police partner Gary Silk when ambushed during a stake-out operation to catch two armed robbers in Moorabbin in August 1998.
In earlier evidence at IBAC on Monday, Supt Sheridan’s subordinate, George Buchhorn, about-faced on his testimony from last week.
The former Senior Sergeant, who compiled the brief of evidence on the Silk-Miller investigation, conceded it was his practice to point out “corrections” police members were to make to their statements, and return them to be edited regardless of whether they had been signed or unsigned.
The IBAC hearings heard the statements were not consistently acknowledged as supplementary statements.