

Secret tapes played at Gattellari trial

An ex-prisoner was secretly recorded trying to arrange a "ludicrous" demand by inmate Lucky Gattellari for $10 million in exchange for evidence he would give in a murder prosecution, a Sydney jury has been told.
Robert McCarthy testified he referred to Gattellari as "the big coach" and his brother Frank Gattellari as "the assistant coach" in some of his coded calls with "George" that were played in the District Court on Monday.
Mr McCarthy did not know at the time that George, who had contacted him saying he was representing the Ron Medich family, was actually a police undercover operative.
When first contacted by George, Mr McCarthy said: "For all I know you could be a police officer on the end of the phone."
Gattellari, 68, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring in 2013 and 2014 to defraud his former friend Ron Medich, who had been arrested for the 2009 Sydney murder of businessman Michael McGurk.
Gattellari's one-time cellmate, Shayne Hatfield, 53, and Hatfield's former partner, Linda Monfrooy, 55, have pleaded not guilty to being part of the 2014 plot.
The Crown alleges Gattellari, who was also arrested over Mr McGurk's murder, had a "continuing objective" to obtain money through approaches to Medich's family regarding evidence he would give in Medich's murder prosecution.

Related Articles

Mr McCarthy testified that fellow-prisoner Gattellari was unhappy after his arrest when the Medich family refused to pay $1 million for Gattellari's legal fees.
"The Medich family turned their back on him and left him holding the bag so to speak," he said.
Mr McCarthy was released in 2013 and Gattellari asked him to get Medich to pay $10 million in return for changing his evidence, he said.
"The amount of money - I thought it was ludicrous and even more so when it started going up," he said.
If the money came through, Mr McCarthy was to receive $200,000 or $300,000.
In one call, Mr McCarthy tells George he can never get near "the big coach any more" but can contact the assistant coach, who was "full blood".
"He wants to protect himself. He doesn't want to end up where the other one is."
Mr McCarthy told the jury he was referring to Gattellari's brother, Frank, who did not want to end up in jail
George referred to his own coach and assistant coach - Ron Medich and his son Peter - and the need for trust, suggesting that Mr McCarthy provide a photo of himself and Frank Gattellari together.
Mr McCarthy also said: "I believe your coach is not safe" and "they want to nail his arse to the cross".
He told the jury he was referring to Medich and the police.
The trial is continuing before Judge Penelope Hock.
© AAP 2019

Send your photos, videos and stories to 9News
