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Police had 'tunnel vision' in NCA case

Tim DorninAAP
Domenic Perre's lawyer says investigators had "tunnel vision" in pursuing him over the NCA bombing.
Camera IconDomenic Perre's lawyer says investigators had "tunnel vision" in pursuing him over the NCA bombing. Credit: AAP

The investigation of the fatal National Crime Authority bombing in Adelaide was plagued by tunnel vision with police believing all roads led to prime suspect Domenic Perre, a court has heard.

In closing defence submissions on Thursday, Gilbert Aitken said in the eyes of SA detectives only Perre had the motive to make and send the bomb that exploded in the NCA office in March 1994.

"In short, in the eyes of police, all roads didn't lead to Rome but led to Perre," Mr Aitken said.

"The investigators' tunnel vision is written large over the entirety of the 27-year investigation of this accused.

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"This tunnel vision resulted in investigating officers becoming so focused on one individual, namely Mr Perre, such that no other person or persons ever truly registered in the investigators' thoughts."

The NCA bombing killed Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and seriously injured lawyer Peter Wallis.

Sgt Bowen died from horrific injuries, including the loss of his left arm, while Mr Wallis lost an eye and suffered severe burns.

Perre has pleaded not guilty to both the murder of Sgt Bowen and the attempted murder of Mr Wallis.

The 64-year-old elected not to give evidence in his own defence in a trial before a judge sitting without a jury which began late last year.

Mr Aitken said there was always public pressure and expectation on police to solve crimes, particularly in the case of an infamous homicide and their efforts should be roundly applauded.

"Real dangers exist that rather than keeping an open, objective and unbiased mind ... investigations had simply lept to one conclusion.

"That is, the person who was the suspect here, Mr Perre, is in fact the guilty party.

"This investigation took a wrong turn at its inception."

On the crown case, the NCA bombing was a personal attack on Sgt Bowen.

Prosecutors said Perre's hostility towards him had grown because of their interactions following the seizure of a multi-million dollar cannabis crop in the Northern Territory in August 1993.

While a number of people had been arrested, Perre was also suspected of being involved and was targeted by police and Sgt Bowen, who had been seconded to the NCA.

In her opening, lead prosecutor Sandi McDonald SC said at the time of his death, almost all of the officer's work had involved the drug crop with the accused being a principal target.

"It is the prosecution case that it was no accident that Geoffrey Bowen died as a result of this bomb detonating. He was the intended target," she said.

"The bomber intended that the parcel bomb travel through Australia Post and end up in the hands of Bowen and that when he opened it his body would suffer the full force of the explosion.

"Geoffrey Bowen was the target and he ended up dead."

But Mr Aitken told the court that Sgt Bowen had also crossed swords with other people in relation to different investigations and accused a number of key prosecution witnesses in the case of lying.

The defence also argued that there was no forensic evidence to directly link Perre to the bomb.

At the close of final submissions, Justice Kevin Nicholson will reserve his verdict to a date to be set.

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