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Appeal possible in NCA bombing case

Tim DorninAAP
Domenic Perre's legal team is considering appealing his murder and attempted murder convictions.
Camera IconDomenic Perre's legal team is considering appealing his murder and attempted murder convictions. Credit: AAP

An appeal is possible in the case of the man found guilty of murder and attempted murder over the bombing of the National Crime Authority office in Adelaide.

Domenic Perre was on Thursday found guilty of killing Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and lawyer Peter Wallis in the 1994 blast.

Supreme Court Justice Kevin Nicholson said it was the only conclusion he could reach after considering all the evidence presented in a near year-long trial.

But Perre's defence team is considering Justice Nicholson's reasons and could launch an appeal against the 65-year-old's convictions.

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Sgt Bowen died from horrific injuries, including the loss of his left arm, while Mr Wallis, who died in 2018, lost an eye and suffered severe burns when the parcel bomb exploded.

Justice Nicholson said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Perre had built and posted the bomb.

He also found that Perre had intended to kill Sgt Bowen or anyone else who happened to open the package or be close by when it detonated.

"Mr Perre wanted to kill Mr Bowen but intended the NCA bomb to do its work and kill whomever it did," the judge said.

Perre was first charged soon after the bombing but the case against him was dropped six months later because of a lack of evidence.

He was arrested again in 2018 after a joint investigation, lasting more than two years, by a number of state and federal authorities including the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

As part of an incredibly detailed and complex case, prosecutors argued the bombing was a personal attack on Sgt Bowen.

They said Perre's hostility towards him had grown because of their interactions following the seizure of a multi-million dollar cannabis crop in the Northern Territory in August 1993.

Perre elected not to give evidence but his defence team said the investigation into the bombing was plagued by tunnel vision, with detectives believing only Perre had the motive to make and send the bomb.

Under SA's sentencing laws, Perre will be jailed for life, but submissions in relation to a non-parole period will be heard in September.

He is already in jail after being convicted of drug offences.

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