A senior detective has been accused of being untruthful under oath and “moulding” evidence to fit with damning surveillance recordings played to him at an anti-corruption hearing.
On the first day of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission’s two weeks of public hearings, Detective Sergeant Wayne Dean admitted to accepting cash to act as an “informal mediator,” threatening to charge people if they didn’t settle private debts.
Detective Sergeant Wayne Dean at the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission hearing on Tuesday.Credit:IBAC
The police veteran of almost four decades accepted that he received about a dozen debts to investigate from long-time associate Basilios ‘Bill’ Meletsis, a convicted criminal.
Dean also admitted using police stations to interrogate debtors without always recording interviews, contrary to protocol.
Ten days before his arrest in February, Dean was captured by surveillance devices meeting with Meletsis near the Victoria Police headquarters, IBAC heard.
In exchange for $3000, Meletsis allegedly asked Dean to obtain CCTV from a Thomastown storage facility after a unit containing illegally stored tobacco was burgled. Dean told IBAC he was not aware of the unit’s contents.
“It could bite me in the arse,” Dean allegedly told Meletsis, before he visited the business.
After discovering local police were already investigating, the detective told IBAC he did not ask for the CCTV. But later in the hearing, Dean was played secret audio taps in which he allegedly told Meletsis the storage business would mail him the footage.
Counsel Assisting Catherine Boston accused Dean of not telling the commission the truth.
Dean told the hearing the job had nothing to do with his role as an officer but was a job for Meletsis, who Dean believed wanted the footage so his client could “get back at” the burglar.
Following another burglary at a second storage site, Dean is alleged to have asked for “big coffee”, code for big money. Dean said he did not receive payment for either job.
IBAC heard audio surveillance where Dean allegedly told Meletsis he had “too many jobs coming in at once now”.
“I’ve got a lot of money coming for ya,” Meletsis said, as Dean chuckled, the hearing heard.
After initially denying accepting any money from Meletsis, Dean told Tuesday’s hearing he received “gratitude” payments. He said he regretted that because “it’s put me here today”.
“It was the wrong thing to do,” he said. “I’ve let myself down, I’ve let a lot of people down.”
IBAC began investigating when a Chinese migration agent made a complaint to the Australian Border Force, alleging she paid Dean and Meletsis $11,000 to recover a debt owed to her client.
“The agent’s complaint raised a concern that a member of Victoria Police may have been bribed,” Boston said.
When IBAC investigators raided Dean’s home, they uncovered $18,000 stashed in a locked safe, the hearing heard. Another $1300 was allegedly found in his desk.
When asked by IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich, QC, if he lost sight of where the line needed to be drawn, Dean became emotional and replied, “Yes sir”.
“I could see it and I didn’t stop it.”
The Age and A Current Affair previously revealed Dean was accused of telling a travel agent to pay $20,000 to her employer to end a police investigation into allegations of theft.
IBAC is also set to examine Dean’s alleged relationship with Mick Gatto, Boston said.
The hearing continues on Wednesday.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
Most Viewed in National
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article
