Terry Lewis (police commissioner)

Infobox Criminal


subject_name = Terence Murray "Terry" Lewis
image_size =
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date_of_birth = 29 February 1928
place_of_birth =
date_of_death =
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charge =
conviction = 16 counts of corruption and forgery
penalty = 10½ years
status = released
occupation =
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parents =
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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.

In 1976 Lewis was appointed Assistant Police Commissioner to Ray Whitrod. Whitrod refused to work with Lewis, and resigned in protest when the Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen insisted on Lewis's appointment. Lewis became 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 [ [http://www.australianbiography.gov.au/whitrod/interview8.html Ray Whitrod - Interview Transcript tape 8 ] ] of the corrupt former Police Commissioner Francis Bischof and as a senior constable was in charge of the Juvenile Aid Bureau. [ [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130221b.htm Bischof, Francis Erich (Frank) (1904 - 1979) Biographical Entry - Australian Dictionary of Biography Online ] ]

Assistant Commissioner Graeme Parker later confessed to corruption and implicated Lewis on 16 September 1987. [http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21714244-28737,00.html?from=public_rss] Lewis was charged with 23 counts of perjury, corruption, and forgery in 1989 when the inquiry ended. [http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/data/portal/00000005/content/81350001131406907822.pdf] After hearing evidence over five months, and having deliberated for five days, a District Court jury found that Lewis had not lied to the Fitzgerald Inquiry, but that he had accepted bribes totaling $700,000 to protect brothels, SP bookmakers, illegal casinos, in-line machine operators and to prevent poker machines being legally introduced in Queensland [http://www.brisinst.org.au/resources/dickie_phil_prostitution.html] and forged Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's signature on an official police document in 1981.

The judge, Tony Healy, sentenced Lewis to the maximum jail term possible - 14 years with a minimum of 9½ years on the 15 corruption charges and 10 years with a seven year minimum on the forgery charge; he also fined Lewis $750,000. The jail sentences were served simultaneously, meaning that Lewis was sentenced to 14 years' jail with a 9½ year minimum. He was released in 2002 after serving 10½ years. [ [http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/extras/federation/Timelines/CMFedTimelineNat7.htm Federation - Timeline, national and state, 1989-2000 ] ]

He has continually protested his innocence, and is now suing his lawyers and pursuing further appeals. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/8.30/lawrpt/stories/s1218102.htm The Law Report: 12 October 2004 - Justice Queensland Style; Majority Jury Verdicts ] ]

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 [cite web|title=Terry Lewis GM|url=http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1073828&search_type=quick&showInd=true|publisher=Australian Honours Database|accessdate=2007-05-02] .

In 1968 Lewis won a Churchill Fellowship for his work with the Juvenile Aid Bureau [ [http://www.churchilltrust.com.au/content.php?id=97 Winston Churchill Memorial Trust ] ] .

This was followed by a Queen's Police Medal which he was awarded on 11 June 1977. [cite web|title=Terry Lewis QPM|url=http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1112099&search_type=quick&showInd=true|publisher=Australian Honours Database|accessdate=2007-05-02] On 16 June 1979 he became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire [cite web|title=Terry Lewis OBE|url=http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1108673&search_type=quick&showInd=true|publisher=Australian Honours Database|accessdate=2007-05-02] . On 15 May 1986 he was awarded the Australian National Medal [cite web|title=Terry Lewis|url=http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1000614&search_type=quick&showInd=true|publisher=Australian Honours Database|accessdate=2007-05-02] and finally, on 11 June 1986 he became a Knight bachelor for his service to the Queensland Police. [cite web|title=Sir Terry Lewis|url=http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1082911&search_type=quick&showInd=true|publisher=Australian Honours Database|accessdate=2007-05-02]

On 26 March 1993 he 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. [cite news|first=Evan|last=Whitton|authorlink=Evan Whitton|title=When the Sunshine State set up a scoundrel trap|url=http://theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21714244-28737,00.html|work=The Australian|date=2007-05-12|accessdate=2007-05-14]

Further reading

*cite book |author=Whitton, Evan |title=The hillbilly dictator: Australia's police state |publisher=ABC Enterprises |location=Sydney |year=1989 |pages= |isbn=0-642-12809-X |oclc= |doi=

References

* [http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,20994751-5011540,00.html "Resignation at root of later inquiry"] , "News Limited", January 1, 2007
* [http://www.gtcentre.unsw.edu.au/publications/papers/docs/2007/153_SeanBrennan.pdf "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=