And she claims she was egged on by her handlers who joked she should “take one for the people” and sleep with the gangland figure.
The defence barrister turned secret informer told the Lawyer X royal commission probing the legal scandal she provided details to police about Mr Gatto knowing it would please her handlers.
During her final day of evidence on Tuesday, Gobbo agreed she had believed targeting Mr Gatto would be beneficial to her career and informer status.Mr Gatto has always denied being a gangland figure and has not been convicted of any criminal offence.
Lawyer Geoff Chettle, representing Gobbo’s police handlers, put to her that she “thought there were a number of advantages in chasing him”.
“It would be good for your business, you’d be able to get more clients and you’d be able to help the (source development unit),” Mr Chettle said.
The inquiry heard Gobbo had previously told the commission there was a running joke between her and her handlers she should “do whatever is necessary” to get to Gatto.
“You say Mr White (lead handler) said to you that as far as Mr Gatto is concerned ... if it’s got to be done it’s got to be done, do whatever is necessary, referring to whether or not you should sleep with Mr Gatto,” Mr Chettle said.
“Yeah, there was a joke about him,” Gobbo said. Mr Chettle produced SDU log books in which her handlers said she was told to consider “finishing the relationship (with Gatto)”.
“(Gobbo) is not tasked into Gatto, not obliged to do so and does not have to,” an entry said. “She understands this but has a feeling of need to finish things whilst she is still talking to us.”
Questioned by Saul Holt QC, for Victoria Police, about her criminal associates including the Mokbels, Gobbo accepted she’d “enjoyed” being part of their “criminal crew”.
“Why would you ever have wanted to be friends with Tony Mokbel?” Mr Holt asked.
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Gobbo hesitated before answering: “Like anyone, he has some redeeming features.”
The commission continues.
Updates
Nicola Gobbo has spent the morning under cross-examination from Geoff Chettle, who is representing her police handlers at the Source Development Unit.
Here's what we learned:
– Mr Chettle quizzed Gobbo on her evidence about her relationship with her handlers – which hasn't been too flattering thus far.
– Gobbo had said she was "frightened and terrified" of her head handler, an officer we're calling Sandy White.
– But when grilled by Mr Chettle, she said she viewed him as a 'father figure' and agreed she was not terrified of him harming her, rather 'petrified of disappointing him'.
– Gobbo wanted to go after the "big fish" Mick Gatto because it would be good for business and police – ignoring advice from her handlers to end the relationship with Gatto when she could.
– The ICRs (Informer Contact Reports) before the commission are "riddled" with examples of her handlers instructing her not to represent people in court that she had been informing on. We now know that she went ahead and did this anyway.
– Said she gave a sit-down to ABC's 7.30 Report – at the same time her lawyers were arguing she be excused from evidence – because of an "immense amount of frustration with this entire nightmare. But in particular the way in which I have come to distrust police."
– In a Homicide Squad profile of Nicola Gobbo, the disgraced barrister listed her "life ambition" as appearing in the movie "The Smurfs"….
Next up to cross examine was Saul Holt QC for Victoria Police.
Read more on what happened in Bali here.
Read more on what happened in Bali here.
