Carl Williams’ killer seeking pictures of prison staff with Nicola Gobbo

Jailed killer Matthew Johnson is digging for a photo of prison guards with Victoria’s most notorious police informer as he fights his conviction for murdering Carl Williams.

Jailed killer Matthew Johnson is digging for evidence relating to lawyer turned police informer Nicola Gobbo to appeal his conviction for the murder of gangland boss Carl Williams.

Johnson, aka The General, was captured on CCTV bashing Williams to death inside Barwon Prison in April, 2010.

The underworld heavy was found guilty in 2011 of the jailhouse murder despite claiming he killed Williams, 39, in self-defence.

But the grounds of Johnson’s appeal bid were not fleshed out in a Supreme Court directions hearing on Wednesday.

Dressed in prison red clothing, Johnson read documents and listened to the hearing in silence.

Johnson’s barrister, Jason Gullaci, has sought documents, including photographs, from government authorities relating to Gobbo.

A range of documents have been sought from Victoria Police, the Commonwealth and Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions and Corrections Victoria.

Evidence given at the Lawyer X Royal Commission appears to have sparked Johnson’s court action.

Johnson is led into a prison van after being sentence to life behind bars. Picture: AAP

The commission gathered statements and heard sworn evidence by current and former senior police officers and other witnesses on Gobbo’s activities as a criminal defence lawyer who moonlighted as registered informer 3838.

Johnson’s connections with other criminals were raised by Gobbo to her police handlers during her time as a spy.

The commission also received evidence surrounding the murder of Williams, who was bludgeoned to death by Johnson before he was set to give evidence alongside Gobbo in a high-profile trial.

Evidence was also given to the commission about Gobbo’s interactions with inmates at Barwon Prison.

Underworld boss Carl Williams.

Barrister Debra Coombs, appearing for Corrections Victoria, queried the application for some of the material requested.

“There are documents that are available,’’ she said.

“Some documents, things like the visitors registrar, should exist somewhere.

“There are also requests for things like the identity of any corrections staff captured in a photo with Nicola Gobbo.’’

Ms Coombs said she did not know if any such photo existed.

Barrister Jason Gullaci, for Johnson, said the photographs his client was seeking had been referenced in the past.

“Corrections Victoria knows exactly what we’re after,’’ he said.

“Let’s stop playing games.’’

He said the photographs had been raised at the commission and with the Ombudsman.

A long-term police investigation dubbed Driver probed the jailhouse killing of Williams.

Among the most potent theories was that Johnson was contracted to murder Williams because he was co-operating with police over unsolved gangland hits.

Mafia-don Rocco Arico was suspected of ordering the hit on Williams after becoming aware his former friend was set to make a police statement against him over the murder of underworld hard man Richard Mladenich in 2000.

Johnson is the figurehead of the Prisoners of War gang — a feared jailhouse group with a hatred of informers.

The court was adjourned until February.