19 Facts About Nicola Gobbo

In 1993, while she was a law student, police raided a house owned by Gobbo and found amphetamines, marijuana, and weapons.

Nicola Gobbo was concerned that another drug conviction would destroy her law career.

Nicola Gobbo first came to public attention during the 1996 Australian federal election.

Nicola Gobbo, under the pseudonym WitnessF, was a witness against Paul Dale, a former policeman accused of corruption.

Nicola Gobbo asserted that Australian authorities have not fulfilled assurances made to her about protecting her safety.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation repeated that Nicola Gobbo asserted she had received death threats due to her planned testimony.

On 16April 2008, Nicola Gobbo's parked car was engulfed in flames.

Shortly afterwards Nicola Gobbo revealed in an interview with the ABC that she was WitnessF in the Paul Dale case.

Whilst originally understood to be a registered police informant from 2005 to 2009 it was later revealed that Nicola Gobbo was recruited as a registered police informant in 1995,1999 and again in 2005 and was still providing information in 2010 at which time police were instructed that they could no longer accept information from her.

Between September 2005 and January 2009 Nicola Gobbo was responsible for more than 5,000 reports and regularly spoke to Purana Taskforce detectives whilst working as a defence lawyer for many of Melbourne's organised crime figures.

Nicola Gobbo passed to Victoria Police information about her clients whilst representing them, leading to the prospect of many convictions being overturned.

At the time of lifting the suppression order to reveal Nicola Gobbo's identity, the High Court found that [Nicola Gobbo] covertly informing on [her] clients was a "fundamental and appalling breach" of the barrister's obligations.

The actions of Nicola Gobbo in acting as an informant for Victoria Police whilst acting as a lawyer has caused a number of convictions, believed to be over 1,000, to be affected, with several people subsequently set free.

Nicola Gobbo provided police with phone numbers which were used to gain additional information on the group.

The actions of Nicola Gobbo have prompted a wider discussion of the responsibility that lawyers have to their clients.

The 9 episodes of season two of the ABC investigative podcast Trace covers the actions of Nicola Gobbo and includes interviews with her.

Nicola Gobbo is the cousin of a Melbourne barrister, Jeremy Nicola Gobbo.

Nicola Gobbo is the niece of Sir James Gobbo, a former Governor of Victoria and a former Supreme Court judge.

Nicola Gobbo's partner is Richard Barkho; the couple have two children.