More than 120 crown prosecutors in New South Wales have issued a rare joint public statement supporting the state's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Sally Dowling SC, after a parliamentary inquiry found she authorised a leak to radio station 2GB and gave false evidence to the inquiry.

The inquiry revealed that the leak concerned District Court Judge Penelope Wass allowing a young Aboriginal offender to give an Acknowledgement of Country before sentencing. The leak reportedly had a "significant personal and professional impact" on the judge, with whom Ms Dowling had a long-running dispute. A parliamentary committee's 4-3 majority concluded Ms Dowling gave false evidence about the leak.

In response, senior crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield SC, representing over 120 barristers who prosecute for the crown, issued an extraordinary statement affirming their support for Ms Dowling. "We regard her as a person of the highest integrity and professional ethics," Mr Hatfield said.

High-profile former DPP Nicholas Cowdrey also publicly supported Ms Dowling following the release of the inquiry report.

Ms Dowling told the inquiry that although her office pitched the story to 2GB, she was not paying attention during the meeting where her media advisors discussed leaking the story.

The Law Society of NSW and the NSW Bar Association expressed concern about the inquiry's recommendation to establish a parliamentary committee to oversee the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. They questioned the appropriateness of such oversight.

The Crown Prosecutors have voiced significant concern about the findings in the report, which the Attorney General has described as unfounded, and stated that the findings against Ms Dowling would likely not hold up in a court of law.

Sources