Could the Canberra Raiders be a stumbling block to the appointment of Anthony Williamson, SC, as the territory's sixth Director of Public Prosecutions?

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Absent a star interstate candidate, Williamson, who I understand to be one of only two to get a second and final interview, must start as favourite for the job.

Since the implosion of the directorship of Shane Drumgold, SC, Williamson has been at the helm and reviews from within the organisation are strong, with praise for him having provided greater training for all and created a program to better integrate the senior team and the rest. Critically, he laid on counsellors for all who needed them, having realised, as one DPP insider put it, that "the whole office, not just Shane, was put through the wringer", both during and after the Sofronoff inquiry.

So, the Raiders?

At issue is the DPP's handling of the Jack Wighton-Lattrell Mitchell matter, where charges against the two rugby league stars collapsed spectacularly when previously unseen video came to light and police admitted their evidence had been dead wrong.

Earlier, the DPP's office had reportedly suggested to the defence that a public apology from Wighton might see the charges dropped and the hearing averted. The defence, and Raiders chief Don Furner, jumped on this (and received "splash" media coverage) when the charges were dismissed by the court, calling for the prosecution to issue their own personal public apology.

Senior legal figures with long experience of the DPP's office say there was no way the DPP's office would have written the letter without Williamson having to at least have signed off on it, and suggest that he should have taken ownership of that........

© Canberra Times