The extreme steps Nicola Gobbo took to protect herself after it was revealed she had been snitching on her underworld clients

Turncoat barrister Nicola Gobbo took matters into her own hands after arrangements by Victoria Police to move the family overseas fell through, a court has heard.

Turncoat barrister Nicola Gobbo underwent surgery, adopted a new name and fled overseas after she was unmasked as Lawyer X, her lawyer says.

On the second day of her high-stakes Supreme Court civil trial against the State of Victoria, Ms Gobbo’s lawyer, Tim Tobin SC, revealed the extreme steps his client took to protect herself after it was revealed in March 2019 that she had been snitching on her underworld clients.

The court heard the former gangland lawyer, 51, returned to Australia around Christmas 2019 after spending time overseas before her family were moved into police protection.

Mr Tobin said they stayed in three locations, including one property for 14 months, before they were evacuated in the middle of the night after a suspicious man in a leather jacket was spotted outside their home.

Lawyer Nicola Gobbo is suing Victoria Police.

The family spent 10 nights in a hotel but returned home after the man was deemed not to be a threat. Severe restrictions were placed on Ms Gobbo and her family, including a ban on socialising, having visitors to their home or attending her children’s school.

“The house they lived in was under constant guard,” Mr Tobin said.

The family were later moved to an isolated farmhouse for six months but there were issues with neighbours and the children struggled at school.

After arrangements by Victoria Police to move the family overseas fell through, Mr Tobin said Ms Gobbo took matters into her own hands.

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

“At that stage, they were isolated and it was necessary for a range of reasons including the welfare of the children in particular … that they find some alternative accommodation,” he said.

Mr Tobin said his client underwent surgery to alter her looks and adopted a new name before her family fled Australia in late 2021.

He said they stayed in “filthy” rental accommodation in an “unsafe country” which was being ravaged by Covid-19 before they moved into a gated community.

“I think this was the ninth or tenth location (they had lived in) in the past 18 months,” he said.

But the country was unsuitable for the children, and the family moved again. At the time, Mr Tobin said his client was dealing with the Victorian Office of the Special Investigator and was being escorted by police to various countries.

He said his client suffered anxiety, depression and fractured teeth from jaw clenching while she slept, likely as a result of stress, and appropriate treatment was difficult to find partly because she had adopted a new name.

Ms Gobbo’s children had also been severely affected after living in 20 locations in the five years since their mother’s identity had been revealed.

“There’s no sense of security, missing enormous amounts of school, being unable to socialise,” he said.

“The effects are now significant and, unfortunately, it seems long-term.”

Mr Tobin did not reveal his client’s current whereabouts.

Ms Gobbo is suing the state, alleging Victoria Police induced her into snitching on her clients and her safety was endangered after she was unmasked as Lawyer X.

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

Originally published as The extreme steps Nicola Gobbo took to protect herself after it was revealed she had been snitching on her underworld clients