Simon Overland says he was unaware of a plan to use Nicola Gobbo as a police source
Former police chief Simon Overland has been grilled by the Royal Commission into the Lawyer X scandal, and revealed how he kept the use of Nicola Gobbo from the state’s top prosecutors.
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Former top cop Simon Overland kept Nicola Gobbo’s use as a secret police informer from the state’s top prosecutors, he admitted to the Lawyer X Royal Commission.
The stunning concession came after Mr Overland repeatedly gave evidence prosecutors should have been told about Gobbo and he “assumed” his “experienced investigators” would have disclosed her dual role as informer 3838.
But Mr Overland eventually conceded he never told the Director of Public Prosecutions Paul Coghlan QC or Crown prosecutor Geoff Horgan about her source status, despite “extensive liaisons” in the lead up to numerous gangland trials, including crime boss Carl Williams, in early 2006.
Mr Overland’s evidence from the witness box of the Lawyer X Royal Commission was eagerly anticipated, with many colleagues describing him as a key player in her informing role.
Monday, Mr Overland said he only became aware Gobbo was being used an informer after she had been registered by a covert source unit under his command, and despite being “concerned’’ maintained he didn’t know she was snitching on her own clients.
He said he would have viewed her informing on clients as ``highly problematic’’, probably a ``criminal offence” and had he known he would have stopped it.
The former Chief Commissioner said he would have “taken action”.
“I would’ve made sure that information was disclosed to relevant authorities at the time,” Mr Overland said.
The then-Assistant Commissioner who established the Purana Taskforce which probed a series of Melbourne’s tit-for-tat gangland murders, initially said he gave Mr Coghlan and Mr Horgan “full knowledge” of the situation as Gobbo aided hitmen to become witnesses.
But his argument unravelled under scrutiny from counsel assisting the commissioner Chris Winneke QC.
Challenged if he had ever informed Mr Coghlan and Mr Horgan of Gobbo’s informer role, he simply answered “no”.
“So you didn’t give them the full knowledge?” Mr Winneke asked.
“No,” Mr Overland said.
During his hotly anticipated day in the witness stand, Mr Overland revealed he:
• Could not remember telling his boss, Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, about Gobbo’s informer status,
• Stopped keeping a police diary or official daybook
• Met with a gangland killer and supergrass in jail,
• Knew prison conversations between lawyers and clients were being bugged and passed to Purana detectives
• Believed Gobbo’s recruitment as an informer probably saved her life
Mr Overland told the commission Gobbo approached police fearing for her life because of her criminal entanglement with drug lord Tony Mokbel, saying it was a “death sentence”.
Challenged by Mr Winneke that his argument “didn’t bear scrutiny”, Mr Overland said convincing her to turn snitch was the “least worst decision”.
The argument followed his earlier evidence that it was simply a coincidence Gobbo was registered as an informer at the same time detectives began investigating her client, Mokbel.
Mr Overland said the drug baron wasn’t an “easy target” and a taskforce was set up to bring down his drug cartel and associates.
“You weren’t just going to catch him using traditional run of the mill law enforcement techniques,” he said.
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But Mr Overland rejected the suggestion one of the “innovative” approaches for nabbing Mokbel was to have his own criminal barrister provide intel on him.
“My understanding was that Gobbo being registered as a source was largely coincidental to that,” he said.
Mr Overland will continue his evidence on Tuesday.