By Les Kennedy
February 28 2003
When he was nearing the end of his detective training course in early
1999, Matthew John Jasper was enlisted by police Internal Affairs to
work in an anti-corruption operation code-named Gymea.
As a result of seizing $80,000 and half a kilo of cocaine, he
received a commendation from the state's then top corruption fighter,
Mal Brammer, who this week quit as Independent Commission Against
Corruption investigations head after a critical Police Integrity
Commission report.
Jasper recounted the award in evidence in the Supreme Court
yesterday about his own road from honest cop of 10 years to corrupt cop
for two years when he joined Manly Police after his detective training
course.
The 33-year-old, who resigned last year in disgrace as a
Detective Senior Constable, was caught by a PIC anti-corruption sting
code-named Florida.
"I knew what I was doing [was corrupt], but I think if I had not been
sent to Manly I might not be sitting here today," he told Justice John
Dunford.
Jasper took the stand to give pre-sentencing evidence on his behalf
after pleading guilty to 23 charges of corrupt conduct during his time
as a detective at Manly working with since convicted and imprisoned
officers David Patison and Ray Peattie, also arrested in operation
Florida.
Two further charges of supplying heroin between January 2000 and December 2000 were quashed by Justice Dunford.
But Jasper stood and with clasped hands pleaded "guilty" to all
other charges including four of corruptly soliciting bribes from a major
drug dealer between January 20, 2000, and March 7, 2000.
Then Jasper told the court of committing his first corrupt act, a crime for which he has never been charged.
It happened in 1999 when he and Patison arrested two American women with 60 grams of heroin and cash.
Patison remarked that if they "lightened" some of the 50s and 100s (dollar notes) they would have less work to do.
Jasper took $1200, giving $600 to Patison.
Jasper will be sentenced today.
Friday, February 28, 2003
Sunday, February 9, 2003
Heroin driver's sentence tripled
By Candace Sutton
February 9 2003
The Sun-Herald
The chauffeur in the northern beaches heroin syndicate that corrupted former Manly detective Dave Patison, has had his sentence tripled by the Court of Appeal.
Anthony Markarian was not a principal in the heroin business run by Vincent Caccamo, who confessed to the Police Integrity Commission that the Manly detective took a cut of drug profits in exchange for protection.
But on Friday, Justice Dyson Heydon, on his last day on the Court of Appeal before joining the High Court, Justice Robert Hulme and Acting Justice Carruthers overturned the 2-year sentence imposed last July by District Court Judge William Hosking.
The judges said Markarian had carried on a "substantial business" of buying and distributing heroin while acting as a chauffeur for Caccamo. Markarian made more than 50 trips with Caccamo between April 18 and October 10, 2000.
Further, the judges said, Markarian on occasions made up deals for Caccamo, distributed heroin and collected money from Caccamo's runners.
The activities of Markarian and Caccamo came under the notice of the PIC's Operation Florida.
The PIC heard tapes of Caccamo complaining to Markarian about $1000 weekly payments and $32,000 taken during a raid, totalling $92,000, he had to pay to certain police.
"I haven't even had f---in' food in the house and every cent I make f---in' goes to them ... Everything I've made has gone to them," Caccamo said, to which Markarian replied, "It's like paying rent; it's like having a shop and paying rent. Well look, we've got a tax-free business; you don't pay tax, you don't pay rent."
On one tape, Caccamo says, "Five hundred a week should be plenty mate. Plenty." Markarian replies, "That's right, that's right. It should not be a thousand. And when they first gave you that figure, Vince, you should have haggled it then".
Caccamo, who later told the PIC that police demanded payment to green-light his activities, was sentenced last May to eight years' jail with a non-parole period of five years.
Markarian was convicted of supplying commercial quantity of heroin, 415 grams.
The Crown appealed against the District Court sentence, which had a non-parole period of 15 months, and sentenced Markarian, 37, to eight years with a non-parole period of 4 years.
Patison, 43, was jailed for seven years after admitting to 12 offences including bribery and knowingly supplying cannabis and heroin.
February 9 2003
The Sun-Herald
The chauffeur in the northern beaches heroin syndicate that corrupted former Manly detective Dave Patison, has had his sentence tripled by the Court of Appeal.
Anthony Markarian was not a principal in the heroin business run by Vincent Caccamo, who confessed to the Police Integrity Commission that the Manly detective took a cut of drug profits in exchange for protection.
But on Friday, Justice Dyson Heydon, on his last day on the Court of Appeal before joining the High Court, Justice Robert Hulme and Acting Justice Carruthers overturned the 2-year sentence imposed last July by District Court Judge William Hosking.
The judges said Markarian had carried on a "substantial business" of buying and distributing heroin while acting as a chauffeur for Caccamo. Markarian made more than 50 trips with Caccamo between April 18 and October 10, 2000.
Further, the judges said, Markarian on occasions made up deals for Caccamo, distributed heroin and collected money from Caccamo's runners.
The activities of Markarian and Caccamo came under the notice of the PIC's Operation Florida.
The PIC heard tapes of Caccamo complaining to Markarian about $1000 weekly payments and $32,000 taken during a raid, totalling $92,000, he had to pay to certain police.
"I haven't even had f---in' food in the house and every cent I make f---in' goes to them ... Everything I've made has gone to them," Caccamo said, to which Markarian replied, "It's like paying rent; it's like having a shop and paying rent. Well look, we've got a tax-free business; you don't pay tax, you don't pay rent."
On one tape, Caccamo says, "Five hundred a week should be plenty mate. Plenty." Markarian replies, "That's right, that's right. It should not be a thousand. And when they first gave you that figure, Vince, you should have haggled it then".
Caccamo, who later told the PIC that police demanded payment to green-light his activities, was sentenced last May to eight years' jail with a non-parole period of five years.
Markarian was convicted of supplying commercial quantity of heroin, 415 grams.
The Crown appealed against the District Court sentence, which had a non-parole period of 15 months, and sentenced Markarian, 37, to eight years with a non-parole period of 4 years.
Patison, 43, was jailed for seven years after admitting to 12 offences including bribery and knowingly supplying cannabis and heroin.
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