Jury deadlock in detective's t

A JUDGE yesterday discharged a deadlocked jury after it failed to reach a verdict in the long-running drug-trafficking trial of a senior Victorian policeman.

Detective Senior Sergeant, Wayne Geoffrey Strawhorn, 49, the state's most experienced drug squad officer, will face trial for the third time in the Supreme Court on a date to be fixed. He is accused of organising drug deliveries to murdered underworld figure Mark Moran and the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Club.

Yesterday, after a 5� month trial, Justice John Coldrey dismissed the 11-member jury when it indicated it was unable to reach a verdict.

Strawhorn was suspended when arrested on March 17, 2003. He has pleaded not guilty to six charges: four of trafficking pseudoephedrine, one of trafficking pseudoephedrine in a commercial quantity and one of threatening to kill a police officer with Ceja, the police anti-corruption taskforce.

Pseudoephedrine is used to make "speed".

After 30 years in the police force, 15 with the former drug squad, Strawhorn is the highest-ranking police officer targeted by Ceja. The taskforce was established in December 2001.

During the trial key Melbourne underworld figures were mentioned, including Lewis Moran, Tony Mokbel, Alphonse Gangitano and Mick Gatto. Due to security, the identities of eight witnesses cannot be published.

Chief Crown prosecutor, Jeremy Rapke, QC, told the court Strawhorn in 1995 developed a controversial technique called "controlled chemicals deliveries" for tracking drug laboratories after seeing a similar technique in Britain. It involved police legally buying from pharmaceutical companies chemicals used to make illegal drugs.

Using undercover police informers to infiltrate drug gangs, the chemicals were sold to drug syndicates. The chemicals were tracked to clandestine drug laboratories that were raided and the drug makers arrested.

The court was told Strawhorn directed a colleague to buy a total of 5.5 kilograms of pseudoephedrine from Sigma Pharmaceuticals in Croydon. Informers then sold two kilograms to murdered drug baron Mark Moran and the remainder to the Bandidos between October 28, 1999, and May 19, 2000.

His alleged actions were illegal because the purchases were not authorised and the deliveries not monitored.

The court was told one kilogram of pseudoephedrine cost police $170 and could be sold on the black market for $10,000.

The controlled delivery technique was suspended in 2002. The drug squad, established in 1952, was disbanded in December 2001 and replaced by the major drug investigation unit.

The court heard irregularities relating to the purchase and sale of chemicals came to light after a security consultant employed by Sigma Pharmaceuticals became concerned about the quantity and frequency of sales to the police. The ethical standards department then became involved.

During its investigations, Strawhorn was secretly taped allegedly threatening to kill Detective Inspector Peter de Santo, the officer running the police corruption investigation.

The jury was played the tape in which he said: "The bottom line is, my life in the police force is over. My hope to get that 30-year pension has gone. They have f----d me over terribly. I'll not rest until de Santo is dead."

Strawhorn's counsel, Duncan Allen, SC, argued the transactions, if proven, were illegal and unauthorised, but Strawhorn did not direct or take part in them. He also argued that some of the key witnesses in Strawhorn's trial were unreliable, self-confessed liars who kept changing their stories. He said the threat to kill was not genuine.

Some of the witnesses were criminals. Mr Allen said they lied to implicate Strawhorn to secure discounted prison sentences for themselves.

The court heard irregularities relating to the purchase and sale of chemicals came to light after a security consultant employed by Sigma Pharmaceuticals became concerned about the quantity and frequency of sales to the police. The ethical standards department then became involved.

During its investigations, Strawhorn was secretly taped allegedly threatening to kill Detective Inspector Peter de Santo, the officer running the police corruption investigation.

The jury was played the tape in which he said: "The bottom line is, my life in the police force is over. My hope to get that 30-year pension has gone. They have f----d me over terribly. I'll not rest until de Santo is dead."

Strawhorn's counsel, Duncan Allen, SC, argued the transactions, if proven, were illegal and unauthorised, but Strawhorn did not direct or take part in them. He also argued that some of the key witnesses in Strawhorn's trial were unreliable, self-confessed liars who kept changing their stories. He said the threat to kill was not genuine.

Some of the witnesses were criminals. Mr Allen said they lied to implicate Strawhorn to secure discounted prison sentences for themselves.

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The Age - Melbourne, Victoria,21 January 2006

Jury deadlock in detective's t

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The Age - Melbourne, Victoria,
21 January 2006