Terry Lewis (police officer)

Terence Murray Lewis GM (29 February 1928 – 5 May 2023) was an Australian police officer who, as Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, was convicted and jailed for corruption and forgery as a result of the Fitzgerald Inquiry. He was stripped of his knighthood and two other awards in consequence.[1] Lewis continued to protest his innocence and sued his former lawyers and pursued appeals.[2] The last of his appeals failed in August 2005.[3]

Commissioner
Terry Lewis
GM
14th Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service
In office
November 1976 – September 1987
Preceded byRay Whitrod
Succeeded byRonald Redmond (acting)
Personal details
Born
Terence Murray Lewis

(1928-02-29)29 February 1928
Died5 May 2023(2023-05-05) (aged 95)
NationalityAustralian
Spouse
Hazel Catherine Lewis
​
​
(m. 1952; died 2009)​
Children5
Residence(s)Brisbane, Queensland
ProfessionPolice officer
Criminal information
Criminal statusDeceased
Conviction(s)16 counts of corruption and forgery
Criminal penalty10+1⁄2 years imprisonment

Policing career

Early career

Lewis was inducted as a police officer in 1949.[4] As a senior constable, Lewis was in charge of the Juvenile Aid Bureau.[5] He was implicated in the National Hotel scandal. Lewis was also a close associate[6] of the corrupt former Police Commissioner Frank Bischof and was allegedly one of his bagmen. Informant Shirley Brifman said: "the collect boys were Lewis, Murphy and Hallahan. That went to Bischof."[7]

Exile

In late 1975 then-Inspector Lewis was transferred to Charleville, at the same time Tony Murphy was posted to Longreach. However, with Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen was unhappy with Commissioner Whitrod, he made two trips to Charleville in March and May 1976 to talk with Lewis, who had been mentioned to him as a possible future commissioner.[8] Two opportunities came to overthrow Commissioner Whitrod: the Premier shifting Police Minister Max Hodges into another portfolio, who was replaced by Tom Newbery and the retirement on 15 September of Assistant Commissioner Norm Gulbransen. On 15 November 1976, the State Cabinet had rejected Whitrod's proposed candidates to replace Assistant Commissioner Gulbransen and instead selected Lewis, who had beaten 122 equal or more senior officers for the role.[9]

Former Royal Commissioner Donald Stewart observed that in 1976, Lewis "was plucked from well-deserved obscurity by Premier Bjelke-Petersen to be his vassal, to do his bidding, lawful or otherwise".[10]

Downfall

Lewis served as Police Commissioner from 1976 to 1987, receiving a knighthood, but was stood down by police minister Bill Gunn on 21 September 1987 before being dismissed on 19 April 1989. By 1980, Detective Jack Herbert had become Lewis's bagman, but he later became a major informant against Lewis and others at the Fitzgerald Inquiry.[11] Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker also confessed to corruption and implicated Lewis on 16 September 1987.[12]

Trial

Following the end of the Fitzgerald Inquiry, Lewis was charged in 1989 with 23 counts of perjury, corruption, and forgery.[13] After hearing evidence over five months and having deliberated for five days, a District Court jury found that, although Lewis had not lied to the inquiry, he had accepted bribes totalling $700,000 to protect brothels, SP (starting price) bookmakers, illegal casinos, and in-line machine operators and to prevent poker machines being legally introduced in Queensland.[14]

Prison

Judge Healy sentenced Lewis to the maximum prison term possible – 14 years on the 15 corruption charges and 10 years on the forgery charge – to be served concurrently, fixed a non-parole period of 9½ years, and fined Lewis $50,000 on each of the corruption charges. Lewis was paroled in 2002 after serving 10½ years. He maintained his innocence, suing his former lawyers and pursuing further appeals,[2][15][16] the last of which failed in August 2005.[3]

Death

Lewis died on 5 May 2023, at age 95.[17]

Awards and honours

Lewis received the following honours:

Knight Bachelor1 January 1986; for his service to the Queensland Police[18][19]
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)16 June 1979[20][21]
George Medal (GM)10 May 1960; for his apprehension of an armed man, when a Senior Detective Constable, along with three other police officers. Of the other officers Detective Constable 1st Class Glen Patrick Hallahan was also awarded the GM, while Constables Kevin John Morris and James Kevin Shearer were awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry (Civil Division). The constables had initially attended an incident where a woman had reported that her husband was armed with a rifle, and was threatening to kill both her, and himself. The two detectives arrived later, and attempted to disarm the man, during which the gun was fired, with a shot passing between Hallahan's legs, they eventually managed to subdue the man.[22][23]
Queen's Police Medal (QPM)11 June 1977[24][25]
National Medal15 May 1986[26]

Churchill Fellowship in 1968 for his work with the Juvenile Aid Bureau.[27]

In March 1993 the Queen stripped Lewis of the awards of Knight Bachelor, Officer of the Order of the British Empire and Queen's Police Medal for Merit.[28] Lewis became only the 14th person since the 14th century to be stripped of his knighthood.[1] He retained the George Medal, which was awarded for gallantry, and the National Medal, awarded for service.

See also

References
  1. Whitton, Evan (12 May 2007). "When the Sunshine State set up a scoundrel trap". The Australian. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  2. The Law Report: 12 October 2004 – "Justice Queensland Style; Majority Jury Verdicts"
  3. Lewis v Hillhouse [2005] QCA 316, Court of Appeal (Qld, Australia).
  4. MacDonald, Robert (27 February 2013). "Former police commissioner Terry Lewis shines light on Queensland's darkest days". The Courier-Mail. News Corp. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  5. Frank Bischof, Australian Dictionary of Biography Online entry
  6. Ray Whitrod – Interview Transcript
  7. Whitton E. The Hillbilly Dictator, Chapter 2. Jack Herbert Gets a Start. http://netk.net.au/Whitton/Hillbilly6.asp
  8. Condon, Matthew 2013, Three Crooked Kings, Brisbane: UQP,330.
  9. Condon, Matthew 2014, Jacks and Jokers, Brisbane: UQP,56–57.
  10. Stewart D.G. 2007, Recollections of an Unreasonable Man, Sydney: ABC Books,183.
  11. Fitzgerald G.E. 1989, Report of a Commission of Inquiry Pursuant to Orders in Council. available http://www.ccc.qld.gov.au/about-the-ccc/the-fitzgerald-inquiry, p32.
  12. Fitzgerald G.E. 1989, Report ,p3.
  13. http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/data/portal/00000005/content/81350001131406907822.pdf
  14. "Resources – Backgrounder: Civilising the sex trade – 25 July 2001". Archived from the original on 4 April 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
  15. R v Lewis [1992] QCA 223, Court of Appeal (Qld, Australia).
  16. Lewis v Hillhouse [2005] QSC 20, Supreme Court (Qld, Australia)
  17. Kyriacou, Kate; Chamberlin, Thomas (5 May 2023). "Disgraced former police commissioner Terry Lewis dies aged 95". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 5 May 2023. It is understood Lewis had been in palliative care before passing away today.
  18. "No. 50361". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1985. p. 2.
  19. "Sir Terry Lewis". Australian Honours Database. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
  20. "No. 47869". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1979. p. 11.
  21. "Terry Lewis OBE". Australian Honours Database. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
  22. "No. 42029". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 May 1960. p. 3306.
  23. "Terry Lewis GM". Australian Honours Database. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
  24. "No. 47234". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1977. p. 7115.
  25. "Terry Lewis QPM". Australian Honours Database. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
  26. "Terry Lewis".
  27. Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
  28. Queensland Gazette No. 69, 26 March 1993, p. 1543

Further reading
  • Whitton, Evan (1989). The hillbilly dictator: Australia's police state. Sydney: ABC Enterprises. ISBN 0-642-12809-X.
  • Bishop, Steve (2012). The Most Dangerous Detective: the Outrageous Glen Patrick Hallahan and the Rat Pack, Amazon.com. ISBN 9781480253797
  • Condon, Matthew (2013) Three Crooked Kings, University of Queensland Press ISBN 9780702238918
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