Report to Parliament: Operation Cobalt

"Operation Cobalt was an investigation by the Police Integrity Commission into the activities of Detective Sergeant Christopher John Laycock (Laycock). At the commencement of the investigation Laycock was a serving member of NSW Police stationed at Burwood. He was subsequently dismissed from NSW Police on 15 November 2004. The Commission received information in early 2004 of a suspicious relationship between Laycock and a criminal, David John Hopes (Hopes). This information was combined with intelligence held by the Commission and gave rise, in mid 2004, to the investigation codenamed Operation Cobalt ... The evidence revealed a startling level of corrupt conduct on the part of Laycock and his associates ... The conduct included extortion, theft, perverting the course of justice and unauthorised release of confidential NSW Police documents and information."--Executive summary.