Terry Lewis (police commissioner)
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| Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 29 February 1928 |
| Conviction(s) | 23 counts of perjury, corruption, and forgery |
| Penalty | 10½ years |
| Status | released |
Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis (born 29 February 1928), previously Sir Terry Lewis OBE GM QPM, is a former Queensland, Australia police commissioner who was convicted and jailed for corruption as a result of the Fitzgerald Inquiry.
Lewis was 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 and bagman[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 confessed to corruption and implicated Lewis on September 16, 1987.[3]
Lewis was charged with 23 counts of perjury, corruption, and forgery in 1989 when the inquiry ended.[4] He was convicted on all charges, and after hearing evidence over five months, and having deliberated for five days, a District Court jury found that Lewis:
- had accepted bribes totalling $700,000 to protect brothels, SP bookmakers, illegal casinos, in-line machine operators and to prevent poker machines being legally introduced in Queensland;[5]
- had forged Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's signature on an official police document in 1981; and[citation needed]
- had not lied to the Fitzgerald Inquiry.[citation needed]
The jury acquitted him on the seven perjury charges, but the judge, Tony Healy, sentenced Lewis to the maximum jail term of 14 years with a minimum of 9 1/2 years on the 15 corruption charges and the maximum of 10 years with a seven year minimum on the forgery charge and fined Lewis $750,000 (the jail sentences were served simultaneously, meaning that Lewis was sentenced to 14 years' jail with a 9 1/2 year minimum). He was released in 2002 after serving 10 1/2 years.[6]
He has continually protested his innocence, and is now suing his lawyers and pursuing further appeals.[7]
[edit] Honours
Terry Lewis received a number of honours. He was firstly awarded the George Medal on 10 May 1960 for his apprehension of an armed man[8].
In 1968 Lewis won a Churchill Fellowship for his work with the Juvenile Aid Bureaux[9].
This was followed by a Queen's Police Medal which he was awarded on 11 June 1977.[10] On 16 June 1979 he became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire[11]. On 15 May 1986 he was awarded the Australian National Medal[12] and finally, on 11 June 1986 he became a Knight Bachelor for his service to the Queensland Police.[13]
On 26 March 1993 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.[14]
[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
- ^ Bischof, Francis Erich (Frank) (1904 - 1979) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online
- ^ http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21714244-28737,00.html?from=public_rss
- ^ http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/data/portal/00000005/content/81350001131406907822.pdf
- ^ http://www.brisinst.org.au/resources/dickie_phil_prostitution.html
- ^ Federation - Timeline, national and state, 1989-2000
- ^ The Law Report: 12 October 2004 - Justice Queensland Style; Majority Jury Verdicts
- ^ Terry Lewis GM. Australian Honours Database. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
- ^ Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
- ^ Terry Lewis QPM. Australian Honours Database. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
- ^ Terry Lewis OBE. Australian Honours Database. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
- ^ Terry Lewis. Australian Honours Database. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
- ^ Sir Terry Lewis. Australian Honours Database. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
- ^ Whitton, Evan. "When the Sunshine State set up a scoundrel trap", The Australian, 2007-05-12. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
- "Resignation at root of later inquiry", News Limited, January 1, 2007
- "The State of Play in Acquisition of Property: Theophanous v The Commonwealth" PDF, Sean Brennan, 16 February 2007
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lewis, Terence Murray |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Police commissioner |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 29 February 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
