Former Victoria Police officer Glenn Pullin on life after IBAC inquiry into Silk-Miller murders
For the first time since the Silk-Miller IBAC probe, former police officer Glenn Pullin has spoken about the night his life – and countless others – unravelled.
Police & Courts
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He joined Victoria Police at the tender age of 19, fuelled by a natural desire to protect and serve the community, and never did Glenn Pullin expect to be exiled in such controversy.
When Pullin – a first responder to the Silk-Miller police murders – graduated in February 1988, he admits feeling ill-equipped to handle the tragedies a 15-year tenure would bring.
Being subjected to an alleged police misconduct inquiry was something the former five-time decorated officer never considered.
For the first time since the IBAC inquiry, Pullin has spoken candidly of the night his life – and countless others including the wrongly accused Jason Roberts – unravelled, and the trauma which followed.
It was the Herald Sunthat triggered an IBAC probe into the Silk-Miller murders when the paper uncovered Pullin’s first statement – allegedly buried for 19 years – detailing the events which transpired on the evening of August 16, 1998.
“(The Academy) provides advice and guidance, but they can’t truly teach you about what you’re going to face during your career,” Pullin told the Herald Sun.
This was through no fault of the Academy. Pullin’s cohort, many of whom were also young adults, was regularly warned of the tragedies they would encounter.
“I don’t know that you actually get to a point where you feel equipped, but you get experience and the more you keep doing it – I wouldn’t say it gets easier – but you start to learn from experience,” he said.
His years in the force were dotted with milestone cases; mid-level drug stings worth millions, bringing down an international credit scam alongside Scotland Yard and the US Secret Service, even busting a serial speeding driver’s ticket evasion.
But as history shows, Pullin’s success would later spiral into chaos; an allegation of perjury becoming his well-documented undoing.
It was Pullin’s amended statement about the murders of officers Gary Silk and Rodney Miller that would play a key role in Jason Roberts spending 22 years behind bars.
The pair, investigating a series of armed robberies, were fatally shot when they pulled over a suspect vehicle following a restaurant stake-out in Moorabbin.
Pullin comforted Senior Constable Miller in his final tragic moments.
It was alleged Pullin signed a second altered statement indicating there was more than one offender, which read “they were on foot” – a detail missing in his original statement.
Asked during the 2019 inquiry whether he gave false evidence at the committal hearing for Roberts and co-accused Bandali Debs, Pullin replied: “Ah, no, as it turns out — well, yeah, quite possibly”.
He replied “I don’t know” when asked the same question about the pair’s trial.
During the same inquiry former homicide detective Ron Iddles stated Pullin mentioned he was asked by another homicide detective to make a second statement so “everything fitted in”.
It was alleged Pullin was asked not to mention the existence of his first statement.
Pullin doesn’t shy away when asked about the inquiry and continues to maintain innocence.
“My problems nowadays exist by and large after what happened in 2017,” he said.
“It’s freaking devastating to be publicly accused of things you didn’t do.”
A post-inquiry report confirmed: “An initial allegation that a first responder to the murders made a statement, included on the brief for the prosecution of Mr Debs and Mr Roberts, which contained a false account of the events was not substantiated”.
IBAC did, however, find serious failures by some officers to “properly discharge their obligations when they failed to disclose all potentially relevant information to the prosecution, defence and the court in relation to the prosecutions of Mr Debs and Mr Roberts.”
“There was a group of about five of us who were named as truly evil,” Pullin said.
“There’s a group of 14 who still struggle with their PTSD or their own mental health issues.
“They’ve been hung out to dry, too.”
He still struggles if his mind wanders back to the slayings for too long.
“The easiest way to describe the immediate days following (the shooting) is just a rollercoaster,” he said, reflecting on the tragedy.
“One minute you’re anxious through the roof, then for no reason half-an-hour later you’re sitting in the corner in tears.
“I had plans, I had goals, all of those were cut short for actually doing the job.”
“I describe it and I always have, that I went to work one day and a different person came home.”
He certainly doesn’t mince words when discussing how he feels about the institution that is Victoria Police, with feelings of abandonment still rife.
“They say at the police association, ‘nobody is blaming you’ and ‘it’s not your fault.’ Well, read the media, read what the court of appeal said — quite clearly they’ve blamed me,” he said.
“It’s a p---k of a job, you don’t learn that until you’ve been in it for a few years.”
Pullin has been receiving psychological care ever since the murders.
“You have to sit back and say that (being a cop) was always a risk, getting your hands dirty and things becoming ugly were always a risk.
“It’s one of those things you think would never happen to you.
“Silk and Miller probably thought the same when they pulled over the car that night.”
He still struggles with PTSD and depression. In fact, he was once so heavily medicated on prescription pills, which he washed down with a bottle of Southern Comfort most days.
“All of that was simply to get to sleep. Only to get five or six hours of sleep a night.”
Mr Pullin is now supported by Police Victorian Veterans (PVV).
“I’ve had no support from Victoria Police,” he claimed.
“On the day I was due to give evidence (at the inquiry), this guy from PVV walked straight up and introduced himself.”
“It brought my wife to tears. We’d had no contact, no support, and no nothing from Victoria Police.
“With PVV it was like walking back into a station and bringing back that camaraderie.”
The Andrews government’s funding snub of PVV prompted him to finally speak out.
“The biggest kicker was the Netball Australia funding,” he said of the State’s $15m cash injection amid Gina Rinehart’s sponsorship withdrawal.
“It’s one of those things, as coppers you just get used to being shit on – that’s what it felt like,” he said.
“I have nothing to hide, if it takes me and maybe a couple of others to put ourselves out there and help (get more support for PVV) then I will continue to share my story.”
Pullin’s journey is far from over. Asked whether he feels vindicated after the inquiry: “F--- no, not in any way. There’s been no opportunity to get recourse.”
“I asked the Police Assocatin to make a statement, on behalf of myself and for other first responders who were accused of corruption, to correct what happened.”
“It’s easier to leave me hanging out to dry. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
So, would he recommend the job to future hopefuls?
“Yes and no. You need a really thick skin; you need to be able to let shit go as it happens.”
“The problem is, maybe those sorts of people aren’t who the force is looking for.
“You need people with compassion, who give a s —t to do the job but it’s those sorts of people who will suffer the consequences of the terrible stuff.”
A Victoria Police spokesman told the Herald Sun Pullin declined when it approached him through a separate organisation about welfare support at the time of the inquiry.
“It is important we respect an individual’s wishes in such circumstances to avoid any potential distress from unwelcome contact,” the spokesman said.
“All veterans have access to Victoria Police wellbeing services including welfare officers, the police psychology unit and chaplaincy services.
“They can also access free and unlimited counselling sessions and confidential mental health screening to identify any warning signs and apply early interventions.”
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