Senior crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC issued the extraordinary statement on behalf of the more than 120 barristers who take on cases for the crown.
In a rare move, 120 crown prosecutors have issued a joint public statement in support of Sally Dowling. In a rare move, more than 120 crown prosecutors have issued a joint statement in support of Sally Dowling after a controversial report found she leaked information to media.
The statement described the director of public prosecutions as a "person of the highest integrity and professional ethics". The attorney-general has refused to remove Ms Dowling from office over "unfounded" allegations she leaked information to media and lied to parliament.
More than 120 crown prosecutors in NSW have taken the rare step of issuing a joint public statement in support of the state's director of public prosecutions , following allegations she leaked information to the media and gave false evidence to parliament. High-profile former DPP Nicholas Cowdrey has also come out in support of Sally Dowling SC, following the release ofThe inquiry found Ms Dowling authorised a leak from her office to radio station 2GB, which had a "significant personal and professional impact" on a judge with whom Ms Dowling had a long-running dispute.
The committee's 4-3 majority then found Ms Dowling gave false evidence about the leak to the inquiry. ABC News: Keana NaughtonIn response, senior crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC has issued an extraordinary statement in support of Ms Dowling on behalf of the more than 120 barristers who take on cases for the crown.
"The Crown Prosecutors are significantly concerned about the findings made in the Report, which the Attorney General has referred to as unfounded. " Mr Cowdrey, who held the office for 16 years, has also backed Ms Dowling, calling the inquiry "outrageous," and saying the findings against the DPP would not hold up in a court of law.
"To make an allegation that somebody in the position of the director of public prosecutions for the state has lied to parliament is a very, very serious allegation, and allegations of that kind should not be made by anybody in the absence of very strong and compelling evidence," he told the ABC. "There are some very serious findings that I think cannot be supported by the evidence that was before the committee.
" The allegations against Ms Dowling centre around a leak from her office to radio station 2GB, about District Court Judge Penelope Wass allowing a young Aboriginal offender to give an Acknowledgement of Country before he was sentenced. Judge Wass is one of several District Court judges who have previously criticised the DPP for taking too many unmeritorious sexual assault cases to court.
Ms Dowling told the inquiry that, while her office did pitch the story to 2GB, she was not paying attention during the meeting at which her media advisors discussed leaking the story. Michael Daley refused to remove Ms Dowling from office following the report findings.
Attorney-General Michael Daley has refused to remove Ms Dowling from office and has told the ABC he believes her sworn testimony that she was not listening to discussions at the meeting, and did not authorise the leak. Liberal MLC Susan Carter, who sits on the parliamentary committee that ran the inquiry, has told the ABC the report makes serious allegations that warrant review.
"Why was the decision made to leak information about a young Indigenous offender to a radio station? " she said. "Judge Wass's submission was that this was part of a media strategy to make her complaints less credible. The Public Service Association, which represents workers in the legal and court sector, has also issued a strong defence of the DPP.
Ahead of the report being released on Tuesday, each of the other eight Commonwealth, state and territory DPPs wrote to Mr Daley, saying they were "broadly aware" of the allegations against Ms Dowling and reiterated their support. Meanwhile, the NSW Bar Association and the Law Society, which represent the state's 47,000 barristers and lawyers, have avoided commenting directly on the findings against Ms Dowling.
"The Law Society of NSW and the NSW Bar Association are concerned about the recommendation that a parliamentary committee be established to "oversight" the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions," the statement said. "It is a fundamental principle of our justice system that decisions to initiate and maintain criminal prosecutions remain free of interference. "
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