WA: Mickelbergs were set up, swindle detective told neighbour

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2003
WA: Mickelbergs were set up, swindle detective told neighbour

By Tim Clarke

PERTH, Dec 8 AAP - A serving superintendent in the West Australian police force admitted
to a neighbour that the Mickelberg brothers had been set up over the Perth Mint swindle,
an appeal court was told today.

Superintendent John Gillespie, a detective on the original investigation in 1982, was
said to have admitted to Carolyn Edwards that Ray and Peter Mickelberg had been set up
over the audacious theft.

WA's Court of Criminal Appeal was also told by Ms Edwards that Supt Gillespie said
the investigation into the disappearance of the 68.5kg of gold from the Perth Mint had
been "rigged".

Giving evidence via video link, Ms Edwards said she had been contacted by advocates
for the Mickelbergs and told them what Supt Gillespie had said to her back in 1985.

Asked by Crown counsel Simon Stone why she had not come forward before, Ms Edwards
said she did not think the comments had been important.

"I only know what I know. I don't know much, and I didn't think it would be any help
or any use," Ms Edwards said.

Lawyers appealing on behalf of the Mickelbergs have claimed Supt Gillespie and another
detective, Bill Round - now retired - fabricated notes of interview to help secure the
convictions.

Continuing his response to the appeal, Mr Stone said despite the evidence of self-confessed
corrupt detective Tony Lewandowski, there still remained "damning evidence" against the
Mickelberg brothers.

Following the death in a car bombing of the head of the investigation, Don Hancock,
Mr Lewandowski came forward last year to claim the brothers had been framed.

The Mickelbergs' eighth appeal asserts the confession throws new light on their claims
of a police conspiracy, and contaminates the entire case against them.

But Mr Stone today said evidence of Ray's fingerprints on one of the fraudulent cheques
used to buy the gold, and the sighting of a car linked to Peter near the mint at the time
of the swindle, remained unchallenged.

The brothers' 20-year quest to clear their names stems from the remarkable heist, when
crooks posing as gold investors ordered over the phone $650,000 worth of gold bullion
from the Perth Mint.

They paid for it with stolen cheques and had the bars picked up by a courier. The booty
then disappeared unchecked from a busy Perth airport.

Following their convictions in 1983, Ray Mickelberg served eight years of a 20-year
sentence and Peter served six years of a 14-year term.

The appeal continues.

AAP tc/hn/apm/jlw

KEYWORD: MICKELBERG

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