Victoria Police’s ‘highest levels’ knew about Lawyer X: police chief

Victoria’s top cop says the police hierarchy were aware Nicola Gobbo was acting as an informant against her own clients.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton. Picture: AAP

Victoria’s top cop says the “highest levels” of Victoria Police were aware criminal lawyer Nicola Gobbo was acting as an informant against her own clients, a royal commission heard.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told an ­inquiry on Tuesday that because senior police were aware of Ms Gobbo’s status as a police informant, he assumed the risk of her passing on information protected by legal privilege had been ­considered.

READ MORE: Lawyer X Nicola Gobbo breaks silence | Lawyer X a risk to justice

“I took some comfort from the fact that, you know, you’ve got the highest levels of the police force are aware that she’s a human source, the fact that she’s giving information,” he said under cross-examination by counsel assisting Chris Winneke QC.

At the time Mr Ashton was a director at the now defunct Office of Police Integrity, an independent anti-corruption body that had oversight of the force.

Nicola Gobbo.

Ms Gobbo’s longest registration as a police informer was from 2005 until 2009, when she turned on some of her most well-known clients, including drug kingpin Tony Mokbel and underworld murderer Carl Williams.

The inquiry heard Ms Gobbo was called before renowned corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald QC as part of an OPI investigation into the 2004 murder of drug dealer Terry Hodson. “She was also concerned about Fitzgerald knowing that she’d had sexual relationships with police,” he said.

The inquiry has previously heard Ms Gobbo had sexual relationships with officers Paul Dale and Jeff Pope, who signed her on as an informant in 1999.

Mr Pope has denied he had sex with Ms Gobbo.

Mr Ashton said he was told the force had concerns about her being called before the compulsory hearings because of her co-operation with Victoria Police and her safety and security.

Mr Ashton said he had a ­“robust conversation” with Mr Fitzgerald about his questioning of Ms Gobbo.

“I had Mr Fitzgerald who was really wanting to, you know, not deal with any outside influences but just to simply deal with the witness on the information. I certainly respect that view,” he said.

Mr Ashton conceded he had never heard of a lawyer being used an informant before Lawyer X and said there had been resistance about using Ms Gobbo as a police snitch. “I certainly knew of the desire from the human resource people that she not be a witness, yes,” he said.

Mr Ashton is the first of three current and former Victorian top cops to testify about how police handled Ms Gobbo while she was representing underworld clients.