2 Marzo 1994 Adelaide (Australia) Una bomba al fosforo rosso uccide il sergente Geoffrey Bowen
[…] Un pacco bomba con materiale plastico potentissimo inviato al quartier generale dell’ente anticrimine australiano NCA supera i controlli degli scanner e uccide Geoffrey Bowen, un detective di trentasei anni impegnato in indagini sulla ‘ndrangheta, dal traffico di droga agli omicidi, alle estorsioni e al riciclaggio di denaro. È il 2 marzo. La mattina del 3 il detective deve testimoniare al processo contro Domenico Perre, un uomo delle cosche italo-australiane. Il gruppo di Bowen è impegnato nell’operazione Cerberus avviata nel ’92 sulla presenza della mafia in Australia e, dopo l’arresto di otto persone per droga, ha subìto minacce. […] Il caso è ancora aperto.
Tratto da Dimenticati di Danilo Chirico e Alessio Magro
Commemorazione del 15° anniversario dalla morte del sergente Geoffrey Bowen: 4 marzo 2009
Fonte:bressington.net
Wednesday, 4 March 2009, Page 1495
NCA BOMBING
The Hon. A. BRESSINGTON (16:52): I move:
That the Legislative Council commemorates the 15th anniversary of the passing of Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen in the bombing of the NCA headquarters on 2 March 1994 and prays that the person/persons responsible are brought to account for their actions.
This is a simple motion to recognise the tragic passing of Detective Bowen and to remind us all that the perpetrators of this brutal attack have not been called to account.
A memorial service was held in Adelaide on Monday to mark 15 years since the National Crime Authority bombing.
The family of Geoffrey Bowen, the police officer killed in the attack, returned toAdelaide for the ceremony in Waymouth Street in the city. Speaking to the ABC, Mr Bowen’s widow, Jane Bowen-Sutton, stated that it would have been their wedding anniversary, so it is always a sad time. She stated:
That grief in the beginning, that’s a very dark place to be, and especially with a murder like that, but we’ve worked through it. I’ve never allowed that to be an excuse to feel sorry for myself or for my sons to go off the rails, so it’s been a challenge but, yeah, I just continue to do this and honour Geoff’s memory.
Both Mr Bowen’s sons are now members of the Western Australian police force.
As I continue with this motion, I hope that some members in this place make the connection between drugs, organised crime and the fact that, after 15 years, we have no arrest in this matter, which only solidifies the fact that organised crime is not just a pimple on the backside of our community but an oozing boil that needs to be lanced.
Because of the actions of these urban terrorists, a wife and mother does not celebrate years of happy marriage to her husband and the father of her two sons, but commemorates his death. Because of this most vile attack against the authority of our law enforcement officers, two sons have grown up without their father and, as a result, have grown up without the positive experiences that a father would bring to their lives. It says a lot of Jane Bowen-Sutton that both of her sons have become police officers in Western Australia, and that fact is also testimony to their father. From all accounts from people who knew Detective Bowen, he was an honest and fine man who conducted his professional work in the most diligent and conscientious manner. One of the shames of his passing is the suggestion by the Coroner and the media that Detective Bowen was targeted for applying these characteristics during the police operation Cerberus, which focused on large scale cannabis cultivation by the Italian mafia.
Although Mr Domenic Perre was initially charged with Detective Bowen’s murder, the then director of public prosecutions, Mr Paul Rofe QC, declined to pursue these charges. The Coroner’s report (later) again suggested that Mr Perre had been in some way responsible for Detective Bowen’s murder.
I am advised that two police investigations into the NCA bombing, the reports of which cannot be made public, have also failed to find new leads. We do not know what information and evidence was considered. What we do know is that, ultimately, no-one has been held responsible.
It is extraordinary that, despite a reward of up to $1 million, double that offered in 2006, we are no closer to solving this crime, and calls are still being made in the media for the public to come forward with information. In retracing some of the interesting features of this case, I have come across some information which raises more questions than it answers, and perhaps this may help us understand why we have yet to see a conviction against the killer or killers who perpetrated such a heinous act of terrorism in our city, an act that ultimately changed the perception of safety and security for many from that time on. I have come to believe that it is possible that not all the information available was considered at the Coroner’s inquest or, presumably, by other authorities.
Two days after the NCA bombing, on 5 March 1994, The Advertiser carried a headline on page 1 which read, ‘Police warned of bomb: retaliation for mafia gaoling, says informant’. That informant, we now know, was Mr Tony Grosser, and he was pictured (albeit anonymously) on that front page story.
In this article, Mr Grosser states that he warned police that police stations in Adelaide were targeted for bomb attacks in retaliation for the gaoling of an Italian mafia figure.
He is quoted as stating: I became involved with (the bomber) who wanted me to sell cannabis for him here…I spoke to him in late May or early June last year and he told me all about weapons and explosives coming in and what they were going to do with them.
He said police buildings in SA were going to be targeted but didn’t say which ones. The two other men involved told me the same things. They were going to get coppers for locking up ( the crime figure ) .
The article continues: The man said he had first informed the police through the Anti-Corruption Branch on 29 June 1993.I am aware that some in this place are still quietly aware of the circumstances surrounding the Tony Grosser case and the evidence he has about those responsible for the NCA bombing.
I have been given copies of documents indicating that Mr Tony Grosser had on many occasions disclosed to police a suspicion that police would be targeted with explosives. It is clear from one letter that police had received this forewarning. A Bureau of Criminal Intelligence (BCI) circular on police letterhead, dated 13 July 1993, states: Information sought re: Theft of explosives.
Story: The BCI is currently monitoring an alleged threat against a police establishment involving the use of explosives. A copy of any report concerning the theft of explosives is to be forwarded to the chief project manager of BCI as soon as possible.
A few weeks later, Mr Grosser also made a report to Channel 7’s newsroom. In short, I wish to read a letter dated 31 July 1993 written by Mr Chris Gunn, who was in the employ of the Channel 7 nightly news team. Mr Gunn took a call from Tony Grosser, which he documented in a letter that he subsequently sent to Chief Superintendent Geoff Eaton of the Fraud Squad. The letter states:
Mr Grosser says SA Police have established a special task force to investigate the importation into South Australia of hundreds of kilos of plastic explosive.
He says Chief Superintendant Geoff Eaton is in charge of this squad. He claims to have a two ounce sample of this explosive, which he says is A4 grade…a very powerful version. Mr Grosser says Interpol and federal police are also aware he has this sample, which he says proves the shipment has already arrived in South Australia. He told me the shipment had been arranged by Bruno R omero J unior an d an associate called Cass, who he says has links to the Hells Angels bikie club. Grosser says that he got this sample through his own associate in the Hells Angels. He also told me Cass had become aware the police had been warned about the explosives and he , Grosser , feared for his life as he was now being sought ou t by Cass and theHells Angels.
He told me the plastic explosive was to be used to ‘destroy’ police headquarters in revenge for the arrest of Bruno R omero ‘s father (also named Bruno Romero ) who was involved in drug dealing. Mr Grosser told me he ‘ d also repor ted his fears to his lawyer, Mr Nick Vada s z, who had warned him to contact police because such a large amount of plastic explosive would damage more than police headquarters, including his (Vada s z) office, which was nearby. Mr Grosser told me the plastic explosive was of the type normally used in torpedo war heads. Mr Grosser made the call to me from a public telephone because he feared any conversation from his regular phone may be intercepted.
It is signed by Mr Chris Gunn. A number of other early disclosures by Mr Grosser made their way into police files, providing information that the Italian Mafia was planning a reprisal attack. In fact, in sheer desperation Dr Jean Lennane, Sydney psychiatrist and founding member of Whistleblowers Australia Incorporated, was also contacted by Tony Grosser to disclose that the life of police was being threatened by major players in a South Australian drug cartel. Dr Jean Lennane was willing to give evidence to this effect at the High Court appeal by Mr Grosser, but she was denied the opportunity to do so. Attempts were made to provide this and other evidence of Mr Grosser’s early attempts to notify police of the impending bombing at the Coroner’s Court, but again this was denied. To this day it is unknown whether the evidence of Mr Grosser has ever truly been tested or even investigated.
I do not intend to say more on this matter, other than to highlight that there may very well be evidence yet to be considered by the police, as we know the evidence of Mr Grosser was not considered by the Coroner’s inquest. Perhaps if we revisit these and other matters the killers may yet be brought to justice, and one of this state’s greatest criminal mysteries may finally be solved.
This motion to remember the passing of the late Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen is to remind us that to this day those responsible walk freely, and to pray that 15 years on every effort will be made to bring those responsible to account. Indeed, many lives have been adversely affected by the bombing that took place on 2 March 1994, and I put on the public record my sympathy to Jane Bowen-Sutton and her two sons, and to extend my hope that they will see justice done on the murder of her husband and their father so that he may rest in peace and they can continue their lives knowing that officials in South Australia left no stone unturned to solve this crime and give them closure. May God rest his soul.
Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.
Fonte: thewest.com.au
Articolo del 1 marzo 2018
NCA bombing: murder charge over death of WA detective Geoffrey Bowen
An Adelaide man has faced court over the 1994 bombing of the National Crime Authority building following a cold-case review South Australian police have called their “largest and most comprehensive”.
Domenic Perre, 61, appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday charged with murder and attempted murder over the bombing, which killed Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and injured lawyer Peter Wallis.
Perre appeared before a courtroom more than half full of police officers and detectives, and made no application for bail – though his lawyer indicated he may apply in future.
He was remanded to face court again in July.
Det Sgt Bowen, a member of the West Australian Police, was killed and Mr Wallis injured when a parcel bomb was delivered to the NCA building in Adelaide’s CBD.
Perre’s arrest follows a joint investigation by a number of state and federal authorities including Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, along with the Director of Public Prosecutions, who conducted a review of the evidence.
Speaking on behalf of the Bowen family and Mr Wallis on Thursday, Det Sgt Bowen’s brother-in-law David Gorton thanked those involved in the investigation.
“We have never lost sight of justice, nor have we ever lost faith in the South Australian police,” he told reporters.
The bombing has been one of the state’s highest-profile cases, with a reward of $1 million issued in 2008 for information leading to the conviction of the person or people responsible.
Assistant Commissioner Scott Duval said the charge marked a major milestone for police.
“This is the largest and most comprehensive cold case review ever undertaken by SA Police,” he said.
“As best we can, we’ve compiled a brief of evidence that we believe will support the charges, but again we put ourselves before the hands of the court.”
WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said: “No one can begin to understand how this day feels for Geoff Bowen’s widow Jane, her two sons and the Bowen family.”
Det Sgt Bowen’s sons are also serving WA police officers.
“Geoff’s memory will remain with us and lives on. Past and present officers are still affected by it,” Mr Dawson said.
The WA Police Union welcomed the charges.
“At the time, the death of Geoffrey Bowen rocked the WA police family and, 24 years later, it is a major achievement to have someone charged,” president George Tilbury said.
In 2016, SA police revealed advancements in technology had assisted the renewed investigation into the bombing.
They found the make-up of the bomb and technological improvements meant it was possible to locate DNA on remnants of the device, which could be later checked against the profiles of possible suspects.
Sixty-five items were sent to the world-leading Netherlands Forensic Institute for further examination, while partial DNA profiles and fingerprints were recovered from other crucial exhibits.
Leggere anche:
abc.net.au
NCA bombing suspect Domenic Perre watched blast aftermath from the street, documents reveal
By court reporter Meagan Dillon
Posted 20 October 2020
abc.net.au
NCA bombing murder accused Domenic Perre stands trial charged with murder of Geoffrey Bowen
By court reporter Meagan Dillon
Posted 19 January 2021
canberratimes.com.au
Evidence complete in NCA bombing trial
By Tim Dornin
The Crown and defence cases have closed in the trial of Domenic Perre, the man accused of the 1994 bombing of the National Crime Authority office in Adelaide.
Posted June 2 2021
7news.com.au
Police had ‘tunnel vision’ in NCA case
Posted 5 August 2021
abc.net.au
Domenic Perre denies spitting on a detective at the Adelaide Remand Centre
By Eric Tlozek
Posted Thu 3 Feb 2022
