Carmel Barbagallo, lead prosecutor in Claremont killer Bradley Robert Edwards’ trial, appointed judge

The prosecution lawyer responsible for securing the conviction of Claremont killer Bradley Robert Edwards has been appointed a District Court judge. Carmel Barbagallo was the lead prosecutor in WA’s trial of the century, which ended in Edwards being found guilty of abducting and murdering Jane Rimmer and Ciara Glennon in 1996 and 1997. Justice Stephen Hall found there was not enough evidence to convict Edwards of abducting and murdering Sarah Spiers. Ms Barbagallo’s appointment as a judge comes just three weeks after Edwards was given the longest minimum prison term handed down by a WA court. She fills a vacancy created by the recent retirement of Gillian Braddock and will take up her position on February 2. During her stellar career as a Crown prosecutor, Ms Barbagallo helped convict some of the State’s worst criminals. And Attorney-General John Quigley said her “genuine empathy” for victims of horrendous crimes would be “invaluable” in her career as a judge. “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Barbagallo as a judge of the District Court,” Mr Quigley said. “Experienced in criminal law, Ms Barbagallo has prosecuted some of the most serious and complex prosecutions in WA. “Many will know Ms Barbagallo as head of the team that conducted the successful prosecution of Bradley Robert Edwards, the now convicted Claremont killer. “Ms Barbagallo is a highly intelligent and determined advocate and lawyer with a genuine empathy for victims, many of whom experience the most horrendous circumstances imaginable. “These qualities will be invaluable in her judicial career. “I congratulate Ms Barbagallo on her appointment and thank her for her continued service to the people of WA.” Prior to the announcement, Ms Barbagallo was next month due to take on another of WA’s most enduring mysteries — the disappearance of teenager Hayley Dodd more than two decades ago. She was to lead the prosecution at the trial of Francis John Wark, who is accused of abducting and murdering the 17-year-old in 1999. Director of Public Prosecutions Amanda Forrester will now prosecute. Educated in Queensland, Ms Barbagallo was admitted into practice in 1991 after completing articles of clerkship at one of Brisbane’s biggest law firms, MacDonnells. Joining Queensland’s Directorate of Public Prosecutions in 1995, she began what she once described as a “tour of duty” of prosecution services in Australia. From May 1996 to December 2000 she was a Crown prosecutor in Queensland before moving to take up a similar position in WA in 2001. After a stint in Victoria, she returned to WA as consultant prosecutor at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and in 2017 was made Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions.