Terry Lewis (police officer)
| Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 29 February 1928 |
| Conviction(s) | 16 counts of corruption and forgery |
| Penalty | 10½ years |
| Status | released |
Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis (born 29 February 1928) is a former Queensland, Australia police commissioner who was convicted and jailed for corruption as a result of the Fitzgerald Inquiry. He was stripped of his knighthood and other honours and awards in consequence.
In 1976 Lewis was promoted from obscurity to the rank of Assistant Police Commissioner to Ray Whitrod. Whitrod refused to work with Lewis, and resigned in protest when the Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen insisted on Lewis's appointment. Lewis became Police Commissioner from 1978 to 1987 and received a knighthood, before being dismissed by police minister Bill Gunn in September 1987. He was a close associate[1] of the corrupt former Police Commissioner Francis Bischof and as a senior constable was in charge of the Juvenile Aid Bureau.[2]
Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker later confessed to corruption and implicated Lewis on 16 September 1987.[3] Lewis was charged with 23 counts of perjury, corruption, and forgery in 1989 when the inquiry ended.[4] After hearing evidence over five months, and having deliberated for five days, a District Court jury found that Lewis had not lied to the Fitzgerald Inquiry, but that he had accepted bribes totaling $700,000 to protect brothels, SP bookmakers, illegal casinos, in-line machine operators and to prevent poker machines being legally introduced in Queensland[5] and had also forged Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's signature on an official police document in 1981.
Judge Healy sentenced Lewis to the maximum jail term possible - 14 years on the 15 corruption charges and 10 years on the forgery charge - to be served concurrently, fixed a non-parole period of 9½ years, and fined Lewis $50,000 on each of the corruption charges. Lewis was paroled in 2002 after serving 10½ years. He has continued to protest his innocence, and sued his former lawyers and pursued further appeals.[6] However his appeals failed in August 2005.[7]
Contents |
[edit] Awards and honours
Lewis received the following honours:
- George Medal (GM) on 10 May 1960 for his apprehension of an armed man, when a Senior Detective Constable, along with three other police officers. Of the other officers Detective Constable 1st Class Glen Patrick Hallahan was also awarded the GM, while Constables Kevin John Morris and James Kevin Shearer were awarded the gallantry version of the British Empire Medal. The constables had initially attended an incident where a woman had reported that her husband was armed with a rifle, and was threatening to kill both her, and himself. The two detectives arrived later, and attempted to disarm the man, during which the gun was fired, with a shot passing between Hallahan's legs, they eventually managed to subdue the man.[8][9]
- Churchill Fellowship in 1968 for his work with the Juvenile Aid Bureau.[10]
- Queen's Police Medal which he was awarded on 11 June 1977.[11][12] On 16 June 1979 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.[13][14]
- Australian National Medal on 15 May 1986.[15]
- Knight Bachelor for his service to the Queensland Police, on New Year's Day, 1986.[16][17]
On 26 March 1993 he was stripped of all honours and titles by a notice in the Queensland Gazette of that date, No. 69, page 1543. Lewis became only the 14th person since the 14th century to be stripped of his knighthood.[18]
[edit] Further reading
- Whitton, Evan (1989). The hillbilly dictator: Australia's police state. Sydney: ABC Enterprises. ISBN 0-642-12809-X.
[edit] References
- ^ Ray Whitrod - Interview Transcript tape 8
- ^ Frank Bischof, Australian Dictionary of Biography Online entry
- ^ . http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21714244-28737,00.html?from=public_rss.[dead link]
- ^ http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/data/portal/00000005/content/81350001131406907822.pdf
- ^ http://www.brisinst.org.au/resources/dickie_phil_prostitution.html
- ^ The Law Report: 12 October 2004 - Justice Queensland Style; Majority Jury Verdicts
- ^ AustLII 26 August 2005
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42029. p. 3306. 6 May 1960. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Terry Lewis GM". Australian Honours Database. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1073828&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- ^ Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47234. p. 7115. 10 June 1977. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Terry Lewis QPM". Australian Honours Database. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1112099&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 47869. p. 11. 15 June 1979. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Terry Lewis OBE". Australian Honours Database. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1108673&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- ^ "Terry Lewis". Australian Honours Database. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1000614&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 50361. p. 2. 30 December 1985. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
- ^ "Sir Terry Lewis". Australian Honours Database. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1082911&search_type=quick&showInd=true. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- ^ Whitton, Evan (2007-05-12). "When the Sunshine State set up a scoundrel trap". The Australian. http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21714244-28737,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
[edit] Other sources
- "Resignation at root of later inquiry", News Limited, 1 January 2007
- "The State of Play in Acquisition of Property: Theophanous v The Commonwealth" PDF, Sean Brennan, 16 February 2007
