Pubdate: Wed, 12 Jul 2000
Source: Australian, The (Australia)
Copyright: News Limited 2000
Contact:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
Author: Alison Crosweller

LAWYER FACES BOOTS 'N' ALL DRUG TRIAL

Prominent Melbourne lawyer Andrew Fraser was committed to stand trial 
yesterday over the importation of cocaine after a court was told he used 
secret phone codes to arrange drug deals and procured cocaine for a 
friend.The 49-year-old criminal lawyer, whose former clients include Alan 
Bond, will remain free on bail and continue to practice until his County 
Court trial later this year.

At the committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court yesterday, 
self-confessed cocaine addict and disgraced forensic psychologist Tim 
Watson-Munro told how he and Fraser used football metaphors to talk about 
drugs on the telephone.

Under cross-examination from Fraser's lawyer, Geoff Chettle QC, Mr 
Watson-Munro agreed that terms such as "I've got the boots and I'm ready to 
play footy" meant he had cocaine and was ready to use it, or he had the 
money to go and buy cocaine.

Mr Watson-Munro, who is on a 12-month good-behaviour bond for cocaine use, 
said he had asked Fraser as a friend to get him the drug, but it had never 
been for profit and he had never returned the favour. "Not that I recall, I 
have no recollection of giving cocaine to anyone," said Mr Watson-Munro.

Mr Chettle told the hearing that last week Mr Watson-Munro sought out 
Fraser to tell him he now believed his statement to police implicating the 
lawyer was not true.

He said Mr Watson-Munro had been going cold turkey from his $2000-a-week 
cocaine habit when he gave police the statement and was on numerous drugs 
for anxiety, which had made his memory "hazy".

Magistrate Rodney Crisp was forced to adjourn the hearing and ask Mr 
Watson-Munro to highlight with a pen any parts of his police statement with 
which he now disagreed.

"It's impossible to preside over a committal where . . . the answers are so 
non-committal," Mr Crisp said. But when Mr Watson-Munro took the stand 
again, he claimed his original statement was true.

He later agreed with the defence that he knew by making the statement to 
police it would help him when he faced his own drug charges in court.

Fraser reserved his plea to the charges of being knowingly concerned with 
the importation of cocaine and using and possessing the drug.
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