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NEWS: Police drugs informer killed

Psychadelic_Paisly

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Feb 10, 2003
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Police drugs informer killed
By Steve Butcher, John Silvester
May 17, 2004
Link

harp_1705.jpg

Harp Road last night.
Photo:James Boddington
A witness crucial to exposing alleged corruption in Victoria's police force has been found shot dead along with his wife in their Kew home.

The man was police informer Terrence Hodson, 56, who recently agreed to co-operate with the police anti-corruption taskforce, Ceja.

A police spokesman said police were treating the incident in Harp Road, Kew, as a possible double murder.

Hodson was waiting to be dealt with in the Supreme Court after indicating last month that he would plead guilty over offences allegedly committed with two former detectives, Detective Sergeant Paul Dale, 34, and Detective Senior Constable David Miechel, 33. It is believed he had also agreed to co-operate with anti-corruption police on other matters.

Ceja investigators were notified last night of the shooting and were believed to be checking that witnesses in other police corruption cases were safe.

Hodson was charged with Dale and Miechel from the major-drug investigation division in December over an alleged conspiracy to burgle a house in East Oakleigh in September and the theft of drugs worth $1.3 million.

Police later raided the house as part of the biggest ecstasy bust in Victoria's history.

It has been alleged that Miechel had an affair with Terrence and Christine Hodson's daughter Mandy, whom he had previously charged with offences.

Christine Hodson had no convictions and had not been charged with any offences.

The Age has learnt that Hodson indicated in the Supreme Court in April that he would plead guilty to an appropriately framed presentment of charges.

Hodson's lawyers said he would plead guilty to trafficking in ecstasy, but negotiations were continuing as to whether the charge would relate to a large commercial quantity of the drug - which carries a life sentence - or a lesser amount.

That decision depended, it is believed, on whether and by how much Hodson would be prepared to help the Ceja taskforce.

He had also indicated he would plead guilty to aggravated burglary because a gun was found in his car on the night of the offences.

Hodson had a long criminal history and had served a number of prison terms.

Miechel has been charged with 16 offences, including trafficking large commercial quantities of ecstasy and ice and trafficking LSD.

He was badly mauled by a police dog outside a house in Dublin Street, East Oakleigh, the day before the police raid.

Dale is charged with conspiring to traffick large commercial quantities of ecstasy and ice.

Dale has claimed that he was not at the house during the burglary and denied being involved.

dale_miechel_1705,0.jpg

Left: Detective Senior Constable David Miechel. Right: Detective Sergeant Paul Dale.

Both men have been released on bail that includes $100,000 sureties. They are to face a committal hearing in October.

The major drug investigation division was established after the drug squad was dissolved in December, 2001, after the arrest of two senior detectives, Malcolm Rosenes and Stephen Paton, with drug trafficking.

They are now both serving jail terms after pleading guilty.

Hodson became an informer for the drug squad after he was arrested and charged over cocaine offences in August 2001.

Police sources said that he agreed to be an informer to try and protect members of his family who were also facing drug charges.

He acted as the inside man for police on at least six drug squad operations - specialising in helping police expose cocaine and ecstasy networks - but later became a Ceja informer.

He was charismatic and likeable. He knew most of the major crime figures in Melbourne, a police source said.

Police said Hodson was a carpenter and had built secret cupboards and storage areas for some of Melbourne's biggest drug dealers.

Hodson is believed to have migrated to Australia from England, had been successful as a drug dealer because he managed to make money while keeping a low profile.

Senior police said the shooting of a major witness in a corruption case would spark a review of witness protection.

The Purana gangland taskforce was notified of the killings but the investigation was assigned to the homicide squad.

Homicide investigators are expected to check if the motive for the killing is connected to police corruption cases before the courts or drug-squad prosecutions in which he had been the main informer.

Harp Road resident Maria Bonilla has lived with her five children, opposite the house at which the bodies were found for almost a year.

Ms Bonilla said a red car usually left the house early each day while two German Shepherd dogs roamed the front garden.

"Today I didn't hear the German shepherds, so I wondered what had happened," she said.

"I heard what sounded like a shot about 6.15pm which was early evening but didn't pay any attention," she said. "You hear bangs and cars all the time on our busy street.

"This is a very strange thing. We didn't think it could happen in front of our home," she said.




This sounds DODGY AS HELL! i would bet a lot that some dirty cop knocked this guy off so he couldn't give evidence... but that's just me... we all know cops are all straight down the line, good guys... right? ;)
 
sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

you watch now about 8 other court cases will fall apart with no witnesses now.

a message like that gets through to those concerned very quickly.
 
Love the fact that there's a huge police station on Harp Rd. Funny how nobody at the cop shop heard anything.
 
Suspended detectives questioned over killings
By John Silvester, Ian Munro
Steve Butcher, Jamie Berry
May 18, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/05/17/1084783453324.html?feed=rss

Two suspended drug squad detectives have been questioned over possible links to the murder of a police corruption witness and his wife.

It is thought that both men co-operated with detectives and provided alibis. Police said the suspended officers remained "persons of interest", whose alibis would be examined.

Assistant Commissioner (crime) Simon Overland confirmed that homicide investigators were looking at possible links between the murder of Terrence Hodson, 57, and his wife, Christine, 55, and Hodson's role as a police corruption witness. But they said it was only one line of inquiry.

Police, meanwhile, are urgently reviewing the safety of witnesses in corruption cases. Hodson was to testify against the two detectives, who face serious corruption charges.

Hodson knew he was in danger but had refused offers of police protection, Mr Overland said yesterday.

"We are looking at the safety of a number of people," he said. "As a matter of course we do that, anyway, but given the events over the weekend we are going back to look at a number of witnesses to make sure that the appropriate security arrangements are in place."

The bodies of the Hodsons were found by their son in the lounge room of their home in Harp Road, East Kew, on Sunday evening.

Police sources said that as a longtime drug dealer, Hodson was known to be security conscious.

One theory is that Hodson knew the killer, let him in to the heavily fortified house, and was ambushed in the lounge room: his wife was then killed because she could indentify the gunman, probably a business associate or friend of her husband.

The couple were killed sometime after Saturday evening. Their German shepherd guard dogs were locked in the garage, either by the killers or by the couple when they welcomed their guest.

Hodson, who was facing drug charges, was a witness in the prosecution of two suspended officers, Detective Sergeant Paul Dale, 34, and Detective Senior Constable David Miechel, 33.

Mr Overland said the Ombudsman would oversee any inquiries into possible police involvement in the murders. "We are very sensitive about that," he said. "It's important that there is some transparency to that investigation, some accountability. For that reason we have asked the Ombudsman in."

He said there was no clear motive for the killings. The investigation was being done by the homicide squad, not as yet by either the Ceja corruption taskforce, or the Purana gangland killings taskforce.

A Ceja detective was at the scene on Sunday evening, but Hodson had many enemies.

"There are a number of possible motivations and we need to look at all of those," Mr Overland said.

"I am not going to speculate as to why the woman was killed, but again, there's a number of possible explanations for that."

Another police source said Hodson had been a drug dealer, and involved in rip-offs. "You make enemies in that business," he said.

Mr Overland said that even though Hodson had refused protection, police had tried to ensure his safety. But they could only guarantee the safety of people prepared to co-operate, he said.

Asked if there was a need for an audit of witness protection, Mr Overland said that was one of the reasons the Ombudsman was called in.

But Hodson's solicitor, Rob Stary, repeated his call for a body with coercive powers to investigate police corruption issues.

Mr Stary, who said he was unnerved by the killings, said that Victoria's Ombudsman was "miserably" funded.

Police yesterday continued investigations at Hodson's property, conducting line searches at the homes next door.

Police also extensively checked for fingerprints in two cars, a maroon BMW and a red Holden Commodore wagon left at the couple's property.

The couple's unit, one of two, is only 400 metres from the Kew Police Station.

Access to the couple's home yesterday was prevented as police sealed off the neighbourhood.

Neighbours said the couple had largely kept to themselves.



What was I saying???......... :|
 
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