Sir Ken Jones’ plea to testify at the Lawyer X royal commission is backed by former police officers
Two former top cops have backed Sir Ken Jones’ pleas to broaden the terms of reference of the Lawyer X royal commission, and claim to have evidence of corruption that needs to be examined.
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Former top cops Noel Ashby and Paul Mullett have backed Sir Ken Jones’ call for the Lawyer X royal commission to be expanded.
Mr Ashby, who was an assistant commissioner, and Mr Mullett, a two-time valour award recipient who headed the police union, claim to have evidence of corruption that needs to be examined.
They contacted the Herald Sun after it this week revealed that Sir Ken, a former deputy commissioner, is ready to give evidence to the Lawyer X royal commission.
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Sir Ken has privately told friends he believes the Lawyer X matter cannot be isolated from the various scandals that dogged the Victorian justice system for most of the 2000s.
Mr Ashby and Mr Mullett said they, like Sir Ken, had information — and documents — about alleged corrupt practices by Victoria Police and the former Office of Police Integrity that probably can’t be probed under the royal commission’s current narrow terms of reference.
“I support former deputy commissioner Jones in his call to expand the terms of reference of the royal commission to include issues such as the investigative practices of both the OPI and VicPol,” Mr Mullett said.
“The investigative practices that need examining include inappropriate use of informers/human sources, operational surveillance, telephone interception warrants, surveillance tracking device warrants on vehicles, listening device warrants and covert operatives.
“The method of how affidavits were sworn to support the practices should also be referenced with particular attention to the use of informers/human sources.”
Mr Ashby on Wednesday said Victoria Police’s handling of Lawyer X would “become a national disgrace” but that her case was “just the tip of the iceberg”.
“The investigation practices VicPol and the OPI adopted were appalling and Victorians deserve a thorough examination, a public examination of all the investigation processes adopted by the force and the OPI — not just the informer handling processes” he said.
Mr Ashby and Mr Mullett on Wednesday claimed the Lawyer X royal commission needed to look at the role of informers — and the inducements offered to them — in several high profile cases.
One of those cases, Operation Diana, a probe into alleged police corruption, led to charges against Mr Ashby and Mr Mullett.
The charges against Mr Mullett were dropped and Mr Ashby was acquitted.
Other cases they claim involve possible police misconduct, which they believe should be examined by the royal commission include:
■ THE 2004 double murder of drug dealer Terence Hodson and his wife Christine.
■ THE 2003 execution of gigolo and self-proclaimed vampire Shane Chartres-Abbott.
■ THE bashing to death in prison of underworld boss Carl Williams in 2010.
■ THE hounding out of office of Sir Ken Jones in 2011.