New scalp in ‘Lawyer X’

VICTORIA’S “Lawyer X” scandal is ballooning, with a former top cop quitting the royal commission amid revelations the gangland barrister was on the force’s books as an informant for a decade longer than initially reported.

The lawyer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, dished the dirt on her clients to help police secure their convictions, in a possible breach of confidentiality that has thrown into doubt the sentences of major crooks including drug lord Tony Mokbel.

A royal commission into the matter will now have its terms of reference amended to account for new information that the lawyer was first recruited in 1995, state Attorney-General Jill Hennessy said yesterday.

“When the royal commission was established, it was understood that the informant was first registered with Victoria Police in 2005,” she said.

“Further … I have been advised that Malcolm Hyde has resigned as commissioner.

“This is due to the potential for overlap between the matters of interest and Mr Hyde’s time at Victoria Police.”

Mr Hyde joined Victoria Police in 1967 and retired in 2012. He was named in December as one of two commissioners for the Lawyer X royal commission, along with former president of the Queensland Court of Appeal, Margaret McMurdo.