He was caught helping bikies stay out of jail, now this Perth lawyer is heading there himself
A Perth lawyer will spend at least the next two years in prison after he was caught exchanging thousands of messages with bikers, including former Comanchero boss Ray Cilli, and giving the gang member information about police investigations to help him escape prison.
Ted Dobson, 32, son of prominent Perth lawyer Terry Dobson, represented Cilli and other Comanchero members in court hearings as a paralegal in his father’s firm.
That employment included representing Cilli, who was accused of murdering Alf Eades in prison in 2019, just months after Dobson qualified as a barrister.
His lawyer, Christian Porter, told Perth District Court judge David MacLean during sentencing on Friday that Cilli’s charge had been extraordinarily dropped before he even went to trial, leading Dobson to be “caught up in the excitement of this success”.
This led to an “intense” friendship between Dobson and Cilli that went beyond simply providing legal advice.
“He was in communication with senior Comanchero members regarding police operations and how the operations were being conducted,” state prosecutor Steven Whybrow said in a statement Friday.
“Dobson asked Cilli in a message ‘is there anything in particular we should keep our eyes and ears out for?’ he asks. …another said, ‘as long as you remain loyal, you have our full support and loyalty.’”
In June 2021, Dobson’s home was raided by police as part of a major joint operation between the FBI and the Australian Federal Police. They were investigating organized crime networks by secretly controlling the encrypted communication platform used by criminals called AN0M.
The AFP and the FBI were monitoring Dobson’s messages to Cilli and other gang members. He was later charged with two counts of failing to comply with an order and one count of attempting to pervert the course of justice, and pleaded guilty.
The court heard Dobson was brought up by his father after his mother died when he was four, leading to a “meticulous and dependent” relationship with his father, which influenced his decision to become involved in his offending.
He was sentenced to four years and four months in prison, but was paroled for half that time.
AFP chief detective Peter Chwal said Operation Ironside dealt a significant blow to serious international organized crime groups based in Australia and offshore.
“The success of Operation Ironside is a testament to the strength and commitment of our partnerships with the FBI and other domestic and international law enforcement agencies collaborating to combat complex organized crime networks operating in multiple countries,” he said.
So far Operation Ironside has led to nearly 400 people in Australia being charged with more than 2300 offenses, including drug trafficking, money laundering and dealing in the proceeds of crime.
More than 60 of the people who were prosecuted in the courts were sentenced.
They include a Western Australian man who was sentenced to five years in prison for possessing $6.1 million in cash believed to be the proceeds of crime.
