Simon Overland becomes visibly emotional during questioning on Wednesday

Former top cop Simon Overland became visibly emotional as he faced another day of intense scrutiny about the Lawyer X scandal.

Former Victoria Police chief Simon Overland held back tears at the Lawyer X Royal Commission as he described the stress of making life or death decisions while fighting organised crime.

Mr Overland was visibly emotional when discussing the 2003 death of hot dog salesman and drug dealer Michael Marshall, who was shot dead in front of his son in South Yarra.

Lawyers cross examining the former top cop on Wednesday offered to take another break as the commission resumed after lunch but he declined and moved on with questioning.

“The nature of the work you do is you deal with death and destruction,” he said.

Former Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Simon Overland becomes visibly emotional while answering questions at the Royal Commission on Wednesday. Picture: AAP

Mr Overland has been grilled about diaries he kept during the years lawyer Nicola Gobbo was a police informer.

Mr Overland was on Wednesday grilled by lawyers for ­predecessor Christine Nixon regarding his about-face over whether he told her Gobbo was recruited as a source.

“I believe, by virtue of having been able to see the entries in my diary, that I must have told her,” Mr Overland said.

It is unclear if Ms Nixon — who said last year she was not told about Ms Gobbo’s secret identity — will be asked to give further evidence.

Yesterday’s hearing also saw Victoria’s new Coroner caught up in the ­Lawyer X scandal, with revelations he was involved in high-level talks about a $2.8 million ­taxpayer-funded payment to Nicola Gobbo.

John Cain Jr has revealed he his role in the debacle.

John Cain, son of the late former Labor premier, told the commission he met former police minister Bob Cameron in August 2010 in his role as the Victorian government solicitor to discuss ministerial approval for the settlement.

The Herald Sun revealed last year Mr Cameron authorised the payment before the 2010 state election, after the gangland lawyer demanded compensation over her role as a witness in a murder investigation targeting alleged corrupt cop Paul Dale.

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In a statement to the commission, Mr Cain said he was “completely astounded” to learn five years later that Ms Gobbo operated as a registered police informer.

Mr Cain, appointed as Coroner last year, said he would have been briefed before the meeting with Mr Cameron but was “very unlikely to have read written advice” because he was busy with the Black Saturday royal commission. He also did not recall a letter from colleague David Ryan to police about the Gobbo mediation, sent on July 28, 2010, which noted the risk of her status as a police informer being disclosed during a trial.

Mr Ryan was not aware at the time she was giving privileged information to police.