Darwin prison guard Liam Robertson seen on CCTV showing prisoner rival drug dealer’s file

A NT prison guard who showed a prisoner’s file to a drug dealer and fellow inmate said he didn’t know the pair were rivals and had worked for the same kingpin. Find out why he showed them the file.

Holtze Prison guard Liam Robertson has pleaded not guilty to disclosing confidential information to one of his charges in September last year.

Northern Territory prison guard Liam Robertson was behind his desk in the Holtze Prison metal workshop in September last year when he was approached by one of his workers — Prisoner A.

While a CCTV camera over his shoulder recorded the scene, Prisoner A leaned over the counter as the guard turned his monitor around to face him.

Almost 12 months to the day later, the footage was beamed into the Darwin Local Court where Mr Robertson had moments earlier pleaded not guilty to disclosing confidential information.

The names of all the prisoners involved have been suppressed from publication but the court heard that unbeknown to Mr Robertson, Prisoner A and Prisoner B, whose file had been on the screen, both worked for the same “drug kingpin”.

Six days later Prisoner A was captured in a recorded phone call telling his boss “I’ve already seen a picture of him”.

“One of the guards helped me out,” he said.

Palmerston Raiders life member Liam Robertson was named NRLNT’s reserve grade best and fairest in 2022.

“Looked like f--kin’ Shaggy out of Scooby Doo.

“The joint’s rife with f--kin’ dog c--ts.”

In another call recorded on October 1, Prisoner A told the kingpin: “To get what he got, to get six months, he has f--king [inaudible] everyone.”

“I’ve got my fingers in a few pies in here and I’ve got in with some good fellas in here, I’ll try and get his release date,” he said.

“Because I dare say once he gets released he’ll be going straight to the airport.”

In taking the stand in his own defence, Mr Robertson told the court he had no idea Prisoner B had requested to be moved to “protection” in fear of Prisoner A and he thought he was just doing his job.

“It was just the way that we’d sort of been shown to positively identify it’s the right person we’re talking about,” he said.

“(Prisoner A told me) they knew each other because they worked for the same person and that they were trying to get them employed in a job so they could get them out of the block and just stay together.”

Under cross examination from prosecutor Adele Peluso, Mr Robertson admitted his actions were a breach of the code of conduct but said “every single officer who outranks me in the prison” had told him “what works on paper doesn’t work (in practice)”.

“We’re told once we walk through the door after our training course, ‘Forget what you learned on course, we’ll show you how to do the job the right way’,” he said.

Frank Johnson Medals 2022: Palmerston’s Liam Robertson with Reserve Grade award. Picture: Patch Clapp

“I’ve been celebrated and congratulated by security for doing that, I showed someone someone’s summary screen to identify someone who perpetrated an assault within the centre and I was told ‘Well done, that was an excellent way to identify that person’.”

In her closing address, Ms Peluso said “the result of the conduct is that a man is now in danger”.

“It is clear on the telephone call … where he says ‘I’m going to wait for him at the airport’, that’s a threat,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter if a senior told you to do things in a different way … prisoners have rights too.”

But in response, defence barrister Peter Maley said Mr Robertson was a 17-year navy veteran and Palmerston Raiders life member with an unblemished record of good character.

“(It was) a stupid breach of the guidelines during the course of a good man’s employment,” he said.

“He did turn the screen, he doesn’t minimise that, it took about 1.5 seconds and he says, to identify the bloke, a photo which is on the ID that the prisoners wear around.”

Mr Maley said even if a prisoner was in protection “they’re not on the moon, it’s not a state secret” and his client was “entitled to the benefit of the doubt”.

“If it has occurred, it has caused, we say, no damage,” he said.

“(And) if it doesn’t warrant criminal sanction that’s it, even if the offence is made out, if in all the circumstances — that’s not fair, that’s not right — the court can dismiss it.”

Judge Alan Woodcock reserved his decision until November 18.