Lawyer X: Nicola Gobbo knew of murders, court told

One of Nicola Gobbo’s former clients says he told her about murders before they happened.

Nicola Gobbo. Picture: ABC

One of Nicola Gobbo’s former legal clients says he told her about underworld murders before they happened, including a hit ­involving gangland heavy Carl Williams.

The murderer, who cannot be identified, told the royal commission into the management of police informants on Monday that he told Ms Gobbo, his then-lawyer, that slain gangster Jason Moran was going “to get knocked” by Williams.

“She [Gobbo] knew Jason Mor­an was going to get kno­cked,” he said. “I told her Carl’s going after him. Everyone knew.”

Moran along with fellow gangster Pasquale Barbaro were shot dead in a van in front of children the pair had just picked up from football practice in the suburb of North Essendon in Melbourne’s northwest in 2003.

The commission previously heard Ms Gobbo legally represented three men charged in relation to the double murder as well as simultaneously working on behalf of Victoria Police to “roll” the accused against each other.

On Monday the client, who described Ms Gobbo as an “ego statistic”, said she told him the evi­dence against him was strong and that his then wife would be imprisoned for money laundering.

“That was the only way I broke,” he said. “She knew there was no way I was going to leave my son without a mother.”

The commission heard the confessed killer had a petition of mercy granted in exchange for snitching on his underworld cronies with his original 23-year sentence slashed in a deal with police and the crown, including retired senior prosecutor Geoff Horgan.

“Once I finished giving all the evidence, that’s when they (told) me ‘we’re going to try to do this for you’,” he said. “Geoff Horgan said it. They tried and got it for me.”

The client’s maximum sentenced was reduced to 11 years before the possibility of parole.

On Monday he took pains to distinguish his role in the murders, saying he’d only assisted in the killing. “It takes a different heart to pull a trigger,” he said.

During cross examination by Ms Gobbo’s lawyer Rishi Nathwani, the client said he had lied repeatedly while giving evidence at an Australian Crimes Commission inquiry. “It was all a lie,” he said. “Gobbo knew that, she told me how to answer the questions.”

The cross examination became heated as Mr Nathwani raised inconsistencies in his evidence. “Don’t be a smart arse about it, you’re a lawyer, I’m a crim,” the client said. Mr Nathwani said: “You’re about as dishonest as they come?”. The client retorted: “Your client [Ms Gobbo] about as dishonest as they come.”

Commissioner Margaret McMurdo intervened after the client made a racist comment towards Mr Nathwani, telling the man not to be offensive. Mr Nathwani said: “Thanks for the racist insult. Let’s carry on.”

The client said he paid Ms Gobbo a retainer of $10,000 in cash a month for legal representation but would pay thousands more if she supplied information on police or fellow criminals.

The royal commission has already identified scores of cases contaminated by Ms Gobbo’s tainted information. She is due to give evidence on Tuesday.