SA Police Detective Peter Dawe Martin challenges corruption allegations in court Suspended SA Police detective Peter Martin leaves the Adelaide Magistrates Court with his lawyer. LAWYERS for a police detective accused of releasing confidential information to the media want to cross-examine the state's top corruption investigator prior to trial. Detective Brevet Seargeant Peter Dawe Martin, from SA Police's Major Crime Investigations Branch, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today. Prosecutors have accused him of releasing information about high-profile cases to Channel 7 reporter Michelle Vella and Advertiser journalist Nigel Hunt. Today Joana Fuller, for Martin, asked the court for leave to cross examine her client's former boss, Detective Chief Superintendant Grant Moyle, before Martin enters his pleas. She said the evidence of Mr Moyle - who now heads the ICAC investigation team - was central to whether her client had a case to answer. "Moyle has said (in witness statements) that the consistent leaking of details of high-profile murder investigations has an adverse effect on the reputation of Major Crime," she said. He has said it has the potential effect of undermining public confidence in Major Crime and deterring witnesses. But nowhere does he provide substantial information about actual adverse effects suffered. If he cannot make good this assertion, it helps our case that there was in fact no effect at all (making the allegations) trivial and not worthy of criminal sanction. In January last year, Martin was charged with eight aggravated counts of misusing information gained by public office . Martin, 52, allegedly abused public office twice in August, once in September and four times in October, 2012. Those offences carried a maximum penalty of 10 years' jail. In April, The Advertiser revealed prosecutors had withdrawn that set of allegations and replaced them with a new court information alleging 13 criminal acts . Martin was charged with 13 counts of being a public officer who exercised his power or influence to secure a benefit. Those lesser offences carry a maximum penalty of seven years' jail. Martin was due to answer the charges in November but his lawyers asked the matter be adjourned so they could challenge the strength of the prosecution evidence . Today, Ms Fuller said that, in his witness statements, Mr Moyle claimed to have been concerned about "leaks" for some time but did not approach the police Anti-Corruption Branch until May 2012. She said Mr Moyle confronted Martin about the situation but, when the detective denied any wrongdoing, considered his response to be a lie. "It's obvious that someone has leaked highly confidential information to Vella and Hunt," Ms Fuller said. If it was not Martin, that assumes some significance for the defence case. The issue may be there was a culture within SA Police of people releasing information to the media, and the defence wants to explore that. Ms Fuller said Mr Moyle had himself provided "confidential, preferential" information to Hunt about the Louise Bell case. She said SA Police's media director, Shelaye Boothey, was present at that meeting. "Moyle put a prohibition on Hunt making it apparent that the information had come from police ... he had to make it appear as if it had come through Hunt's own sources," she said. Moyle should have to explain why the authorised release of information made to look like a leak does not have the same adverse effect on Major Crime's reputation of which he complains in his statements. He should have to explain why he says one thing and does another. Ms Fuller said she also wanted to cross-examine Ms Boothey, as well as other Major Crime detectives. "There is an issue of the culture within Major Crime of socialising with journalists, of not ostracising or excluding journalists," she said. (We want to know) why Martin was not actively discouraged from doing so. The hearing, before Magistrate Paul Bennett, continues.