Gobbo reveals toll of living under police protection after being unmasked as Lawyer X

Turncoat barrister Nicola Gobbo has told a court she felt “tired and broken” while living under police protection after her identity as Lawyer X was revealed. See key moments from the trial so far.

Barrister turned informant Nicola Gobbo has returned to the stand in her lawsuit against the state, revealing the toll living under police protection took after she was unmasked as Lawyer X.

The former gangland lawyer, 51, continued her evidence in the Supreme Court on Thursday, appearing from an undisclosed location via video link with her image hidden from public view as a security measure.

More than 150 people watched the hearing’s livestream.

She is suing the state of Victoria, alleging Victoria Police induced her into snitching on her clients and her safety was endangered after her identity was revealed.

The state is defending the lawsuit, claiming Ms Gobbo chose to become an informant with full appreciation of the risks involved.

Here are key moments from her evidence so far.

Lawyer Nicola Gobbo is suing the state of Victoria.

Gobbo in ‘holding pattern’ after leaving Australia

In December 2018, Ms Gobbo left the country with her children under police protection after learning the High Court was going to lift suppression orders protecting her identity.

She was living out of a hotel room and doing tourist activities with her children, telling the court she felt like she was stuck in a “holding pattern”.

The family were overseas when media in both Australia and the country she was residing began reporting she was Lawyer X.

Ms Gobbo said Victoria Police did not allow her children to enrol in school and the family had to exit and re-enter the country every 90 days because they were on tourist visas.

The court heard the family returned to Australia in late 2019 after they ran into visa issues.

The state says Nicola Gobbo chose to become an informant.

Gobbo describes life under police protection

Ms Gobbo and her children remained under police protection after they returned to Australia.

The former lawyer said strict measures were taken and she was “cut off completely” from the outside world, with all electronic devices confiscated as a safety measure.

The family moved several times and were under 24/7 watch.
“At times they would be sitting in a car directly across the road from the house watching, sometimes it was with cameras,” she said.

The court heard Ms Gobbo rarely left the house unless it was for legal proceedings and she was completely banned from any involvement with her children’s school.

“I couldn’t leave the premises or even step out the front of the property without getting told to get back inside,” she said.

“I just regard 2020 and 2021 as a period of imprisonment.”

Gobbo says she thought she would lose custody of her children. Picture: ABC 7:30 Report.

Gobbo warned she could lose child custody

After Herald Sun journalist Anthony Dowsley contacted her in March 2014, Ms Gobbo said she had several meetings with senior police to discuss security arrangements.

She spent a couple of days away from home before she said she was warned by police and a department of housing official she would lose custody of her child if she returned.

“It was made clear to me if I went home with my child, that steps would be taken and the child would be removed from me,” she said.

Ms Gobbo, who was pregnant at the time, said she sought legal advice the next morning.

The court heard police later apologised and told her no action would be taken.

Gobbo says she was threatened by Andrew (Benji) Veniamin, Carl Williams’ hitman.

Gobbo Threatened by Williams’ hit man

Ms Gobbo said was doing bail applications for “almost every big drug arrest in Melbourne” including members of rival crews in the early 2000s.

She described how Andrew “Benji” Veniamin, a notorious hit man for Carl Williams, threatened her outside her home after it was revealed she had represented Lewis Moran in a bail application.

“He was literally parked on the nature strip outside of where I was living in a screaming rage,” she said.

“Mr Veniamin was just so irate and abusive.”

Carl Williams was one of Gobbo’s underworld clients.

Gobbo given heads-up of gangland murders

While Melbourne midst of the gangland wars, Ms Gobbo said she was warned by her underworld clients to avoid certain people.

“It was kind of wink wink, nudge, nudge, don’t be near this person, don’t have a coffee with this person, don’t be in public with this person,” she said.

“Then lo and behold they would be murdered.

“It’s almost unbelievable, I had never known anyone to have been murdered before, and all of a sudden there were quite a lot of people being murdered.”

Gobbo first registered as informer after police run-in

Ms Gobbo told the court about her upbringing and her first run in with police in 1993 after she purchased a home in Carlton with her then boyfriend, Brian Wilson.

Then a Melbourne University law student, Ms Gobbo said she was arrested at work and taken back to her home because police claimed her boyfriend was a “hardened street dealer”.

Officers found what they called a “green vegetable matter” and amphetamines in her bedroom, and larger amounts of drugs in other parts of the house belonging to Mr Wilson which she said she knew nothing about.

“They put the fear of god into me,” she said.

She was handed a 12-month good behaviour bond without conviction after admitting using and possessing drugs.

After that incident, Ms Gobbo said she was registered as a police informant for the first time, though she did know about her registration until a royal commission.

Gobbo meets Mokbel for first time

Ms Gobbo said she first met Tony Mokbel in 1998 on the second floor of the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court while he signed surety papers for his brother who was facing fraud charges.

“I certainly didn’t know who he was or any sort of notoriety or otherwise,” she said.

Ms Gobbo told the court she faced extreme pressure from Mokbel after she began representing him and his crew in court.

“A lot of screaming phone calls, a lot of directions, specifically being directed I was not to appear for Mr Moran on the basis I was not part of his crew, I was apparently part of the Mokbel crew,” she said.

“It was quite extraordinary.”

Gobbo says she first met gangland boss Tony Mokbel in 1998.

‘I’m broken’: Gobbo tells of scandal toll

Asked how the past six years had changed her, Ms Gobbo said if it weren’t for her family, she would not see the point of living.

“I’m tired and I’m broken,” she said.

“I have a tremendous obligation to keep going and to be mentally as well as physically present and supportive for the sake of my kids.

“If it wasn’t for them or for my partner I don’t know if I’d see a point in living.

“I’ve just had enough.”

Ms Gobbo said she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress order but it was difficult to manage trauma when “the past was still the present”.

“I spent a lot of time ruminating over all this,” she said.

“I remain really frustrated with not being able to move forward.”

Earlier, Ms Gobbo described how her children had also suffered, including one expressing suicidal ideation.

“They each displayed behavioural changes and adjustment difficulties,” she said.

“My youngest, he got very angry and would very rarely let me out of his sight

“My oldest was just hysterical when being separated from me.

“It was awful.”

Ms Gobbo said her children were doing much better now after stability returned to their lives.

Police informant Terrence Hodson and his wife, Christine.

‘Hodson-style gangland hit’

In 2021, Ms Gobbo and her family were whisked away in the middle of the night after police told them a suspicious man wearing a bomber jacket had walked past their home on several occasions.

Ms Gobbo said she was told there was a “military style operation” involving cloned number plates but police had “foiled the Hodson-style gangland hit” — a reference to the murders of police informant Terrence Hodson and his wife Christine.

But the court heard the would-be assassin was actually a neighbour interested in the house.

Despite the false alarm, Ms Gobbo said her family did not return to the home.

Pet goat became ‘quite attached’ to Gobbo

After the security incident, the family were moved to an isolated farmhouse which was infested with mice and had a resident pet goat.

Ms Gobbo said the goat became “quite attached” to her because she rarely left the property but it was aggressive towards one of her children.

The goat later fell ill and police made arrangements with the property owner so it could receive medical care.

But instead of a vet, Ms Gobbo said the owner arranged for a cousin to come over with a gun and shoot the animal dead.

Only after her partner argued with police, she said the goat received care and was rehoused.

Originally published as Gobbo reveals toll of living under police protection after being unmasked as Lawyer X