Convicted National Crime Authority (NCA) bomber, Domenic Perre, was brought to his knees just in Adelaide’s Supreme Court today, moments after being found guilty of the horrific 1994 crime.
Perre, who is now aged in his 60s, was taken from the court in a wheelchair to a waiting ambulance, before being taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment.
Prior to his collapse in court, Justice Kevin Nicholson had found him guilty of the murder of Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and the attempted murder of NCA lawyer, Peter Wallis.
In March 1994, Perre sent a parcel bomb to Detective Sergeant Bowen’s Waymouth Street office in a callous act of revenge over the officer’s investigation into the Perre family’s illegal drug activities.
Tragically, the detective was killed in the bomb attack, while Mr Wallis lost an eye and received burns to 35% of his body.
Perre was initially charged in September 1994, however the charges were dropped, before he was again charged in 2018.
In March, he was also found guilty of the 2018 aggravated assault of a police officer after he spat on the officer while being held in custody on unrelated charges.
Outside court, South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens praised the tenacity of his officers.
“What can I say, after 28 years we have an outcome today which vindicates the unrelenting effort of the South Australia police, the ICAC and other investigators across Australia,” the Commissioner said.
“This is the result we were obviously hoping for and it is a testament to the investigating over years of so many people who have been involved.”
Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus this afternoon congratulated all those involved in the case for their dedication and tireless efforts to bring Perre to justice.
“This savage and senseless attack, as then Prime Minister Paul Keating described it, took the life of Geoffrey Bowen, a detective sergeant with WA Police seconded to the NCA, and left NCA lawyer Peter Wallis with terrible injuries,” said Mr Dreyfus.
“This was a barbaric and unprecedented attack on our criminal intelligence investigators who were targeted because of their success in disrupting the illegal drug trade.
“This verdict would not have been possible without the brilliant work of dedicated police officers, investigators, prosecutors, and especially the Australian Criminal Intelligence Agency, the successor to the NCA.
“I express my deepest sympathies to the families of Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and Peter Wallis and hope today’s verdict finally brings them some closure to their 28 years of pain and suffering,” the Attorney-General said.
Perre is expected to be sentenced for his crimes in September.
