Former ACA producer ‘tipped off about alleged payroll tax fraud’
A former TV producer has told court his friendship with reporter Steve Barrett was like that of a police officer and an informer.
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A former executive producer of A Current Affair now NSW Police executive director Grant Williams has revealed veteran crime reporter Steve Barrett tipped him off about a “major scandal” involving a tax rort by a group including the son of a deputy tax commissioner” a day before Mr Barrett is alleged to have been involved in blackmailing that group.
Mr Williams told the NSW Supreme Court on Monday Mr Barrett, who he had known for 30 years and considered one of the most experienced reporters in Sydney, often had information and tip-offs about stories for which he was paid by ACA and the tax fraud rort story ended up as one of them.
Mr Williams, who was also a former NSW Police Detective, said he and Mr Barrett, who had the nickname The Bar Rat, had a relationship similar to that of a police officer and an informer.
“Steve had his ear to the ground, he is one of the most experienced journalist in Sydney,” Mr Williams said.
“He knew a lot of people and knew a lot of information … We trusted each other … He gets a lot of information from a journalistic perspective and it makes sense to have a relationship with man of his ilk and experience.”
Mr Williams revealed Mr Barrett had tried to contact him several times in the days before the Australian Federal Police raided Mr Barrett’s home looking for evidence about the alleged blackmail of the group involved in the alleged large scale tax fraud known as the Plutus Payroll fraud.
When they finally caught up, Mr Williams said Mr Barrett had told him about an “affidavit” he obtained linked to the tax fraud matter, the AFP raid on his home by the AFP and he also said “these blokes also alleged I have been blackmailing one of the crooks tied up in the fraud”.
It is alleged Mr Barrett, with two other men Daniel Hausman and Daniel Rostankovski, were part of a joint criminal enterprise hatched in February 2017, to demand $5 million from the group, which included Adam Cranston the son of the former Deputy tax Commissioner Michael Cranston, allegedly involved in the Plutus Payroll tax fraud, or they would publicly expose them.
Mr Williams told the court he had assumed “these blokes” Mr Barrett was referring to were “crooks”, not police.
He took Mr Barrett to the Channel 9 studios, but it was not until Mr Barrett had left Channel 9 after helping TV producers with a story for ACA that night about the alleged Plutus payroll tax fraud, that information coming out of the local courts had suggested Mr Barrett might be involved.
Mr Williams said he realised the alleged blackmail offenders were all in custody, but Mr Barrett was not under arrest and he was in the Channel 9 studios.
He said he would have asked Mr Barrett to do an interview because he was now being implicated.
”It would have been an exclusive for us “.
“I missed the boat …” Mr Williams said.
The trial is continuing
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Originally published as Former ACA producer ‘tipped off about alleged payroll tax fraud’
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