Shonky SAPOL Cop Christine Baulderstone is ICAC’s Director of Investigations (Part 2)

In 2014, South Australia Police were conducting a drug investigation known as Operation Mantle. Eight SAPOL members, operating from an office based in the Sturt Police Station, were part of that Operation, known as the Sturt Mantle team. A whistle blower attended two drug house properties in early 2014 with members of the Sturt Mantle team. They later informed a senior police officer they heard conversations between members of the team discussing taking property from the premises for their own use.

The senior police officer reported the allegation to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), then headed by Christine Baulderstone.

Baulderstone is no stranger to shifty behaviour. In 2013, she suddenly drove into a pedestrian. The accident was her fault, but her and a male colleague behaved aggressively towards the victim and threatened to charge her. The male officer lied and made the absurd claim that road rules were ‘reversed’ on Bent Street in the CBD because it was adjacent to a cop shop. That, the victim was supposed to believe, made it OK for cops to suddenly drive into pedestrians.

As a result of Baulderstone’s dangerous driving, the victim required knee surgery and suffered PTSD.

When the victim’s lawyer filed a FOI for footage of the collision, SAPOL conveniently claimed it had “gone missing”.

Operation Mantle Leads to Operation Bandicoot

After the whistle blower allegations, a joint investigation called Operation Bandicoot with the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) and ACB ensued, which included authorisation of two ‘integrity tests’ (fictitious crime scenes) in 2014.

What followed was a protracted saga in which eight officers were unsuccessfully charged and prosecuted on the flimsiest of grounds for offences that pale in comparison to what Baulderstone and her colleagues have committed.

After all, none of the Sturt Mantle officers drove into an innocent pedestrian, injured them, and then engaged in a cover-up where incriminating evidence mysteriously disappeared.

Three Sturt Mantle members attended the first integrity test on 15 September 2014, which was captured on CCTV and audio device. A search conducted four weeks later revealed a drill, a cordless screwdriver, staple gun, spanner set, a shifter, crescent clamps, UHF Radios, gaffer tape and a Leatherman tool were not recorded or documented as being seized or booked into exhibit property.

All of the items were later located around the Sturt Mantle office, including on and under desks, on a whiteboard shelf and in drawers; except an adjustable wrench which was located in the car of one of the Sturt Mantle team members.

Five Sturt Mantle members attended the second integrity test on 9 October 2014. A search of the Sturt Mantle office four weeks later revealed a bottle of whisky, a bottle of perfume, a multi tool, vise-grip clamps and wire snips were not recorded or documented as being seized or booked into exhibit property.

Again, all of the items were located around the Sturt Mantle office.

Eight members were arrested and suspended with pay as part of the investigation. They were
charged and first appeared in the Magistrates Court on 19 December 2014.

Operation Bandicoot Leads to Operation Desperate

The “$10 adjustable wrench” allegedly stolen at the first test was placed by the member in question in their police bag. The Select Committee on Damage, Harm or Adverse Outcomes Resulting from ICAC Investigations heard the member intended to place it in the Sturt Mantle toolbox where tools with no owners found were regularly stored. The Committee heard attempts to find the owner were made but were fruitless. Permission was sought to take the wrench home while on leave for a month between September and October 2014, to go camping. The Committee heard the wrench was in a personal vehicle waiting to be returned to work when the arrests and searches occurred.

This officer was originally charged with property damage of a carbon filter, abuse of public office and aggravated theft relating to the $10 wrench. Later the charges were changed to aiding and abetting colleagues, alleging they were complicit in each other’s conduct.

Another Sturt Mantle officer went to trial charged for aiding and abetting regarding the bottle of whisky recovered at the second test, even though the bottle was secured in the office in an exhibit bag.

Another member was charged and had to endure 15 months of Magistrates Court hearings, even though they were not present at either of the integrity tests.

Operation Desperate Leads to Aborted Mission

With an evidence base this weak, it is of no great surprise that ultimately all eight members were either acquitted by the Courts or had their charges withdrawn by the DPP in May 2019.

Instead of focusing on the very real and rife corruption within SAPOL, ICAC, Baulderstone’s ACB and the DPP decided to launch a protracted 5-year battle over ‘stolen’ items that – with the exception of an unclaimed wrench borrowed with permission – had never left the Sturt police station.

If these clowns were truly concerned with improper handling of evidence, they should have launched an investigation into why the CCTV footage of Baulderstone running down and injuring an innocent civilian had mysteriously “gone missing”.

SAPOL and the South Australian government have never disclosed just how much many was spent pursuing the failed Operation Bandicoot saga, but the bill for the ICAC/ACB/DPP witch hunt is reported to have run into the millions.

Christine Baulderstone was an “Unimpressive Witness” (a LIAR)

Then Supt Baulderstone and now, unbelievably, head of investigations at ICAC (!), conceded there were “administrative errors” regarding the formal arrangements to authorise the undercover operation associated with Operation Bandicoot. However, she described them as “inconsequential”.

A Snr Sgt Hammond told the Committee he had been briefed by Baulderstone to search the Sturt Mantle office, look for certain items and then bag them in brown paper bags. Hammond told the Committee he was concerned at being directed to search the office, which he did not have the power to do under the auspices of an audit.  Hammond told the Committee that after the items of interest were bagged he contacted ACB and they executed their general search warrant and seized the bags.

While before the Committee, Baulderstone threw Hammond under the bus, denying that she directed the audit team to search the Mantle office but conceded they were asked when they were doing their audit that if they found certain pieces of equipment they were to notify ACB.

The Committee was also told of a curious incident on 10 March 2016 during the Operation
Bandicoot trials whereby a member of Baulderstone’s ACB was seen filming off duty police officers inside the Magistrates Court precinct during a pre-trial hearing. A detective used their mobile phone to film other off duty police officers who were present to support the Sturt Mantle members.

Filming within court premises without prior authorisation is prohibited under the Sherriff’s Act 1978. A Sheriff’s Officer confirmed the video was deleted from the phone prior to the detective leaving the court precinct.

The Committee was concerned to hear about this conduct because, when combined with other evidence before the Committee, it showed a disturbing disregard for the rules and processes that govern a principled investigation.

Baulderstone claimed that there were supports put in place to minimise the harm to the Sturt Mantle team, but the media had been alerted to their presence at the City Watch House and had filmed them upon their release.

Baulderstone told the Committee another ‘wellbeing consideration’ was to facilitate their legal representation as soon as possible – but this is a legal right rather than a wellbeing consideration.

In 2023, MP Frank Pangallo attempted to clarify why an inept shonk like Christine Baulderstone had been appointed to the position of director of investigations at ICAC.

Pangallo described Baulderstone’s ACB Bandicoot investigation as “deeply flawed and riddled with errors, some quite comical. There was also a failure to disclose exculpatory evidence to the defendants.”

Pangallo pointed out that in “scathing evidence to a parliamentary committee into reputational harm and damage from ICAC investigations, prominent criminal barrister Michael Abbott KC scored Chief Superintendent Baulderstone’s investigation zero out of 10—I repeat, zero out of ten.”

“She conceded that there were administrative errors, yet refused to accept these now psychologically damaged police officers were innocent.”

“Ms Baulderstone was found to be an unimpressive witness during that inquiry and in the criminal trials of the accused.”

Pangallo also noted that in 2014, Baulderstone was the subject of a complaint by the pedestrian Baulderstone struck and injured with her police car.

Pangallo asked the Attorney-General Kyam Maher:

1. How could you be comfortable with [Baulderstone’s appointment?

2. Will you now investigate and seek answers from Commissioner Vanstone about the appointment, considering the poor assessment of Ms Baulderstone’s standard of investigative work on a previous ICAC matter?

3. How many applicants were received for the position, who conducted the selection process and did they take into account Ms Baulderstone’s chequered history?

4. Since the release of the damning Strickland report into the Hanlon prosecution, do you not see appointments to important positions, such as this one, should require applicants to be of faultless competence and character, taking in their previous record of service?

The dishonorable Maher replied “that neither I nor anyone from the government has any role in the appointment of people within ICAC.”

Bullshit.

The Commissioner of ICAC is appointed by the Governor of South Australia.

The Governor of South Australia, in turn, is appointed by the Monarch on the recommendation of the Premier of South Australia. This is usually for a term of five-years, although this period can be extended by agreement between the Governor and the Premier.

The “Governor acts upon the advice given by members of Executive Council” of the South Australian Premier’s office.

In other words, the governor is appointed by the premier, awarded a very lavish salary, and does as he/she is told.

So much so that when the media reported the appointment of Bruce Lander as ICAC’s first head in 2013, there was no mention of the governor.

“Justice Lander, a former Federal and Supreme Court judge, was appointed this morning by the State Government following unanimous support from a State Parliament committee,” reported News.com.au.

“State Parliament’s Statutory Officer’s Committee gave unanimous support to the appointment this morning.”

The current head of ICAC is Emma Townsend, former director of the useless Office for Public Integrity and a former prosecutor at the DPP, where she worked for 18 years. So she’s quite familiar with old mate Maher, who’s sticking to the story that he and the rest of his government cronies play no role in ICAC antics.

ICAC’s current director of investigations, meanwhile, is a very smelly ex-cop by the name of Christine Baulderstone.

Baulderstone ran down a pedestrian then enjoyed a SAPOL cover-up, then proceeded to mercilessly prosecute/persecute eight officers who never stole anything during two attempted entrapment stings.

The investigations and prosecutions arising from this Bandicoot wank were a massive screw-up that cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

She was involved in the vindictive removal from the SA Police Band of Sargeant Russell Nash, who later committed suicide.

She was evasive and an “unimpressive witness” during committee hearings into the screw-ups of government-controlled ICAC.

But we’re supposed to believe the shady Baulderstone is the best ICAC investigator taxpayer money can buy?

Sources

Final Report of the Select Committee on Damage Harm or Adverse Outcomes Resulting from ICAC Investigations (pdf)

Hansard Daily, Legislative Council: Thursday, August 31, 2023 (Question Time > Government Appointments)