Cops, Drugs, Lawyer X and Me

‘How did a kid from the country who dreamed of joining the Victoria Police, end up on the wrong side of the bars? There are a lot of reasons, and I hope this story will help clarify some of them, not only for you, the reader, but for me too, because a lot of the time I am left shaking my head, wondering how things went so wrong.’

Paul Dale knows he is tainted. After almost fifteen years as a cop, working in Homicide and rising to the rank of Detective Sergeant in the Victorian Drug Squad, he saw the worst of what people can do. But when he was accused and jailed firstly for drug offences and then for murder, Dale realised the murky world he was navigating was going to take him under too.

Dale dealt with crims like Carl Williams, Terry Hodson and Tommy Ivanovic on the Melbourne streets. But when a burglary ended in Hodson’s arrest, Dale’s life started to unravel. He turned to Nicola Gobbo, a lawyer and friend he thought could help: the lawyer who became known as Lawyer X.

Eventually exonerated of any crimes, Paul Dale’s story reveals the shocking deals done at the highest levels of the Victorian Police Force and the damage wrought by Victoria Police’s use of Lawyer X.

Author Biography

Paul Dale (Author)

Paul Dale was a police officer in Victoria Police, serving in the Homicide Unit and Major Drug Investigative Division. He now lives in country Victoria.

Vikki Petraitis (Author)

Vikki Petraitis is a bestselling author with twenty years’ experience. Her book about Frankston serial killer Paul Denyer has become a classic in the true-crime genre. She has written: The Phillip Island Murder; Victims, Crimes and Investigators; The Frankston Murders; The Great John Coleman; Rockspider; Cops: True stories from Australian Police; Forensics: True Stories from Australian Police Files; Crime Scene Investigations: More Stories from the Australian Police Files and Salvation – The True Story of Rod Braybon’s Fight for Justice. She has had stories published in six anthologies. Vikki works as a writing consultant and ghostwriter, helping others to tell their stories.