Terry Lewis (police commissioner)
Encyclopedia
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 knight
hood, before being dismissed by police minister Bill Gunn in September 1987. He was a close associate of the corrupt former Police Commissioner Francis Bischof
and as a senior constable was in charge of the Juvenile Aid Bureau.
Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker later confessed to corruption and implicated Lewis on 16 September 1987. Lewis was charged with 23 counts of perjury
, corruption, and forgery
in 1989 when the inquiry ended. 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 brothel
s, SP bookmaker
s, illegal casino
s, in-line machine operators and to prevent poker machines
being legally introduced in Queensland 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. However his appeals failed in August 2005.
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.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
police commissioner who was convicted and jailed for corruption as a result of the Fitzgerald Inquiry
Fitzgerald Inquiry
The Fitzgerald Inquiry into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry resulted in the deposition of a premier, two by-elections, the jailing of three former ministers and a police commissioner who was jailed and lost his...
. 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
Ray Whitrod
Raymond Wells Whitrod AC CVO QPM was an Australian police officer and criminologist. He was considered a world leader in the way society treats victims of crime. He was known as a man of high professional standards, with a commitment to justice, equity and integrity...
. Whitrod refused to work with Lewis, and resigned in protest when the Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
insisted on Lewis's appointment. Lewis became Police Commissioner from 1978 to 1987 and received a knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
hood, before being dismissed by police minister Bill Gunn in September 1987. He was a close associate of the corrupt former Police Commissioner Francis Bischof
Francis Bischof
Francis Erich Bischof was a police commissioner in the Australian state of Queensland from January 1958 until his resignation, on the 13 February 1969, amidst allegations of corruption...
and as a senior constable was in charge of the Juvenile Aid Bureau.
Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker later confessed to corruption and implicated Lewis on 16 September 1987. Lewis was charged with 23 counts of perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, corruption, and forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
in 1989 when the inquiry ended. 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
Fitzgerald Inquiry
The Fitzgerald Inquiry into Queensland Police corruption was a judicial inquiry presided over by Tony Fitzgerald QC. The inquiry resulted in the deposition of a premier, two by-elections, the jailing of three former ministers and a police commissioner who was jailed and lost his...
, but that he had accepted bribes
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
totaling $700,000 to protect brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s, SP bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s, illegal casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s, in-line machine operators and to prevent poker machines
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
being legally introduced in Queensland and had also forged Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
'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. However his appeals failed in August 2005.
Awards/honours
Lewis received the following honours:- George MedalGeorge MedalThe George Medal is the second level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.The GM was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI. At this time, during the height of The Blitz, there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage...
(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 MedalBritish Empire MedalThe Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
. 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.
- Churchill FellowshipWinston Churchill Memorial TrustThe Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based...
in 1968 for his work with the Juvenile Aid Bureau.
- Queen's Police MedalQueen's Police MedalThe Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
which he was awarded on 11 June 1977. On 16 June 1979 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
- Australian National MedalNational Medal (Australia)The National Medal is an Australian award given for long service by operational members of specified eligible organisations. It was introduced in 1975, as an original component of the new Australian honours system, and replaced a range of medals available to military and civilian uniformed...
on 15 May 1986.
- Knight BachelorKnight BachelorThe rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
for his service to the Queensland PoliceQueensland PoliceThe Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve"...
, on New Year's DayNew Year's DayNew Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, 1986.
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.
Other sources
- "Resignation at root of later inquiry", News LimitedNews LimitedNews Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The publicly listed company's interests span newspaper and magazine publishing, Internet, Pay TV, National Rugby League, market research, DVD and film distribution, and film and television production trading assets.News Limited...
, 1 January 2007 - "The State of Play in Acquisition of Property: Theophanous v The Commonwealth" PDF, Sean Brennan, 16 February 2007