Domenic Perre lawyers launch fresh mercy plea after finding evidence with Italian Mafia link

Lawyers for Domenic Perre, who was convicted of bombing the National Crime Authority headquarters, are preparing to launch a fresh mercy plea. See what it means.

Domenic Perre was jailed last year for bombing National Crime Authority headquarters in Adelaide in 1994. His legal team is preparing a mercy plea based on new evidence. Artwork: Steve Grice/The Advertiser

The man convicted of the 1994 National Crime Authority headquarters bombing could be granted an extraordinary petition of mercy after death with new “compelling evidence” raising the prospect of reasonable doubt on his conviction.

Domenic Perre was last year jailed for life for the sending of a parcel bomb to the Adelaide headquarters, which killed Det Sgt Geoffrey Bowen and caused horrific injuries to lawyer Peter Wallis.

In February this year, Perre, 64, had launched an appeal against sentence on technicalities but died of a heart attack while in remand, thereby formally ending proceedings.

But his legal team is now preparing to launch a fresh mercy plea after uncovering what is being described as new compelling evidence that had not been made public nor disclosed to Perre’s legal team during the trial.

It was also not known by Perre prior to his death.

Lawyers for convicted 1994 National Crime Authority bomber Domenic Perre have are preparing to launch a fresh mercy plea. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

The new evidence, understood to partly relate to Italian Mafia connections and influence in Australia, cannot be revealed for legal reasons but creates an argument of reasonable doubt against conviction.

It is understood the material is sensitive and an unrelated law enforcement agency has recently been contacted to establish the extent and strength of the new information.

Should a mercy petition be accepted it would mean the long-running NCA case will not have brought anyone to justice for the murder of Sgt Bowen, a dedicated officer who had been investigating Italian organised crime.

Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen was killed by a parcel bomb at The National Crime Authority building in Adelaide in March 1994.

Perre’s legal team declined to comment directly on the matter but confirmed there was startling new information that was not previously known.

“Justice doesn’t just die and we do have new information that raises the possibility of reasonable doubt,” one of the team said.

“For 27 years they (authorities) went after him and we will continue to act in the best interests of his family to clear his name.”

It is understood part of that new information did not directly relate to Mafia ‘Ndrangheta figure Bruno ‘The Fox’ Romeo, which the Perre team had during trial raised as an alternate hypothesis and suspect to the targeted bombing.

The South Australian based Calabrian crime boss died in 2016.

News of the untested evidence and petition will come as a blow to the families of Bowen and Wallis.

Perre was a long time marijuana grower on an industrial scale but maintained his innocence since being charged with the murder six days after the 1994 bombing. The charges were withdrawn with insufficient evidence but he was charged again in 2018.

He was already serving a six-year jail sentence for drugs when he was trialled then sentenced to life with a non-parole of 30 years for the bombing.

Originally published as Domenic Perre lawyers launch fresh mercy plea after finding evidence with Italian Mafia link