Murders of Terrence and Christine Hodson

In 2004 the murders of Terence and Christine Hodson caused the Victorian government to establish the Office of Police Integrity to investigate probable Victoria Police involvement in the murders and to investigate the leaking of sensitive police information to the Melbourne underworld.[1][2]

Terence Hodson was to have been a police corruption witness and had rejected requests to enter the Witness Protection Program due to fears for his safety. A former police officer and a hitman were charged with their murders.

Informant

Hodson became a police informant in 2002, after he was arrested by Drug Squad detective David Miechel.[3][4] Miechel was to become Hodson's handler.

On AFL Grand Final weekend in September 2003, Hodson and off-duty Miechel were arrested for burglary on a house in Oakleigh East being used to store approximately $1.3 million in ecstasy pills by criminals and which was soon to be raided by the Drug Squad.[2]

Within 48 hours, Hodson's sensitive police file which described the evidence he had given to the Drug Squad as an informant on criminals, was stolen from police headquarters.

Hodson agreed to give evidence for Ethical Standards detectives investigating the robbery on his accomplice detective Miechel and implicated Drug Squad detective sergeant Paul Dale. All three were charged in December 2003.

Hodson's stolen Drug Squad informant file was leaked and circulated around the Melbourne underworld with Ethical Standard detectives suspecting Dale. Ethical Standard detectives recommended that Hodson and his family enter the Witness Protection Program due to the high risk to his safety. This was declined and they remained in their family home.

Murder

Hodson and his wife were murdered in execution style on May 16, 2004 in their home in Kew, in what The Age described as "'horrific' gangland murders".[1][2] Their hands were tied behind their backs and had suffered gunshot wounds to the back of their heads in their lounge room. Christine Hodson is believed to have had no involvement in crime.

The charges against Dale for the robbery were dropped after Hodson's murder.

The murders sparked calls for a Royal Commission into Victoria Police with the government establishing the Office of Police Integrity (OPI).

The murder was investigated by the Homicide Squad despite the Ethical Standards detectives requesting a dedicated task force. The Petra Task Force was created in 2007 to investigate and the OPI in Operation Oboe investigated serving police officers associated with Dale for interfering with the murder investigation.[2]

In 2008 authorities offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the solution of the crime.

Miechel was jailed in August 2006 for 12 years for the drugs burglary.

Trial

In 2009 Paul Dale was charged with murder of Terrence Hodson and underworld hitman Rodney Charles Collins charged with the double murder. After a significant crown witness in the case Carl Williams died in April 2010 the charges against both men were dropped.[5][6]

The prosecution was to allege that Dale paid Williams to arrange the murder of Terrence Hodson and that Carl gave the contract of $150,000 to Rodney Collins. Prominent Melbourne criminal barrister Nicola Gobbo, who had worn a wire to record conversations with Dale at the request of detectives, was to give evidence including that she acted as a courier for Dale.[4] The hitman, killed Terrence's wife not part of contract, and was charged with the double murder.

Dale remains a person of interest in the case.[7] In 2010, the Petra Task Force was disbanded.

The Hodson's murder was dramatised in television series Fat Tony & Co and Informer 3838.

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References
  1. Chris Evans, Dan Silkstone (2004-05-01). "Police probe on gang-hit pair". The Age. Retrieved 2011-12-14. The Victoria Police is investigating a report that secret intelligence about a police informant was leaked to the underworld two weeks before he and his wife were shot dead. mirror
  2. Steve Butcher. Andrea Petrie (2008-09-11). "Williams probed in jail over Hodson murders". The Age. Archived from the original on 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2011-12-14. Hodson, Mr Dale and the jailed former drug squad detective David Miechel were arrested after the burglary of an East Oakleigh drug house on the weekend of the 2003 AFL grand final. Within 48 hours, a secret dossier about Hodson's activities as an informer was stolen from police headquarters. Hodson, Miechel and Mr Dale were all later charged over the drug burglary.
  3. James Campbell (2011-10-09). "I was asked to be an informer - Terrence Hodson". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2011-12-14. The man making the offer is drug squad detective Dave Miechel and the deal is a simple one - turn informer and we will go easy on your family.
  4. James Campbell (2011-11-27). "How I taped drug squad cop Paul Dale: Nicola Gobbo". Sunday Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 2011-12-14. Retrieved 2011-12-14. Gobbo also claims she passed on messages between Dale and Carl Williams under the noses of the police who were trying to put them away, as well as between Dale and Terrence Hodson - a crim and police informer, who, along with his wife, was executed in May 2004.
  5. , Gangland killer Carl Williams died at the high security Barwon Prison after being bashed several times with part of an exercise bike.
  6. , A former Victoria Police drug squad detective, Paul Dale left court today a free man after a murder charge against him was formally dropped. Mr Dale had been charged with the murder of Terrence Hodson. Hodson had agreed to give evidence against him in a drug case.
  7. , Victoria's former police chief Simon Overland says former detective Paul Dale remains a person of interest despite the withdrawal of murder charges against him.
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