Zarah Garde-Wilson
Encyclopedia
Zarah Garde-Wilson is an Australia
n solicitor
in Victoria
who has acted for many persons under investigation by Victoria Police
in relation to the Melbourne gangland killings
of 1998-2006.
Garde-Wilson is a graduate of the University of Western Australia
, where she resided at St. George's College.
Upon graduation, Garde-Wilson commenced articles of clerkship with Perth and Melbourne criminal law firm Pryles & Defteros.
She was a girlfriend to convicted criminal, Lewis Caine
, himself a victim in 2004 of the gangland killings.
Garde-Wilson was set to face trial on charges of possessing an unregistered gun that had allegedly belonged to Caine. She was acquitted of this charge and also charges of giving false evidence to the Australian Crime Commission
.
Garde-Wilson successfully challenged the decision by the Victorian Legal Services Board to not renew her certificate to practise law in the state; she is now regarded as a "fit and proper person". This follows a conviction on contempt of court
charges for failing to testify against the men later convicted of killing Caine. In the drama series Underbelly Garde-Wilson is played by actress Kestie Morassi
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...
n solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
who has acted for many persons under investigation by Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
in relation to the Melbourne gangland killings
Melbourne gangland killings
The Melbourne gangland killings were the murders in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia of 36 criminal figures or partners between 16 January 1998 and 13 August 2010. The murders were in a series of retributional murders involving various underworld groups. The deaths caused a sustained power vacuum...
of 1998-2006.
Garde-Wilson is a graduate of the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
, where she resided at St. George's College.
Upon graduation, Garde-Wilson commenced articles of clerkship with Perth and Melbourne criminal law firm Pryles & Defteros.
She was a girlfriend to convicted criminal, Lewis Caine
Lewis Caine
Lewis Caine was an Australian organized crime figure who was murdered on 8 May 2004 during the Melbourne gangland killings....
, himself a victim in 2004 of the gangland killings.
Garde-Wilson was set to face trial on charges of possessing an unregistered gun that had allegedly belonged to Caine. She was acquitted of this charge and also charges of giving false evidence to the Australian Crime Commission
Australian Crime Commission
The Australian Crime Commission is an Australian Government national criminal intelligence and investigation agency. It was formulated under the Australian Crime Commission Act which came into effect on 1 January 2003, establishing the ACC as a national statutory authority to combat serious and...
.
Garde-Wilson successfully challenged the decision by the Victorian Legal Services Board to not renew her certificate to practise law in the state; she is now regarded as a "fit and proper person". This follows a conviction on contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
charges for failing to testify against the men later convicted of killing Caine. In the drama series Underbelly Garde-Wilson is played by actress Kestie Morassi
Kestie Morassi
Kestie Morassi is an Australian actress born in Adelaide, South Australia, where she lived until she was 13 years old. She studied at the National Theatre, Melbourne Drama School, graduating in 1994, and another five years at Drama with a Difference....