Richter was born on 13 February 1946 in the Kirghiz Republic, at that time a republic of the Soviet Union.[4] His father was a Polish Jew, and his mother was Ukrainian; they had met there after being displaced during World War II. After living for ten years in Israel, Richter's family moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1959, following an uncle who had already established business in the textile industry. Along with the rest of his family, the 13-year-old Richter arrived in Australia with little or no English. It has been reported that he taught himself English with the aid of television programs and dictionaries.[4]
Membership of statutory bodies and professional organisations
Richter was a committee member of the then "Criminal Bar Association of Victoria", and the Victorian Bar Council from 1997 to 1999. Richter was President of the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties from 1994 to 1996. In addition to his business as a barrister, Richter was also a part-time Commissioner of the Law Reform Commission of Victoria from 1989 to 1992.[6] He was appointed a silk on 26 November 1985.[7]
Notable cases
In 1987, Richer acted for surgeon Ian McGoldrick who was indicted on 11 charges of procuring abortions contrary to the then sections 64 to 66 of the Victorian Crimes Act 1958[4][8] The case was dismissed at committal hearings, the presiding Justice following Justice Menhennitt's reasoning in 1969 matter of R v Davidson [1969] VR 667 at 670.[9][10]
In 1996 Richter successfully defended John Elliott against charges that he allegedly illegally moved A$ 66.5 million from Elders IXL, to "Equiticorp Tasman Ltd", a shelf company Elliot was alleged to control.[4][12][13]
In 1998 Richter led the defence for now convicted "Hoddle Street Massacre" perpetrator Julian Knight.[4][14] Richter continues to represent Knight during his parole hearings on a pro-bono basis.[15]
In 2005, Richter successfully defended Melbourne underworld crime figure Mick Gatto against the charge of murdering suspected underworld hitman Andrew Veniamin.
[4]
In 2009, Richter successfully defended Labor minister Theo Theophanous over rape charges.[20][21] In the same year, Richter represented a high school teacher who pleaded guilty to committing sexual acts against a teenage girl. During the sentencing appeal, Richter argued that the victim was a "drama queen".[22] The appeal was successful, with Richter's client being freed.[23]
In 2015, Richter represented an athletics coach to national champions, with extensive links to one of the country's elite Catholic schools, St Kevin's College, Melbourne Toorak, who was convicted of grooming a child under the age of 16.[24]
In 2016, Richter represented one of the conspirators behind the 2015 Anzac Day Terror Plot, with the conspirator sentenced to seven years imprisonment, for a crime that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Richter argued that his client's "rehabilitation is in the public interest".[25]
In 2017, Richter was retained by Cardinal George Pell after Pell was charged by Victoria Police in relation to multiple allegations of historical child sexual abuse.[27] At Pell's 2019 sentencing hearing, Richter said that the case was "no more than a plain vanilla sexual penetration case where the child is not actively participating".[28] He later issued a written apology for making the statement.[29]Bret Walker
replaced Richter as Pell's lead counsel for his subsequent appeal.[30]
Richter has been described as a "progressive atheist".[35]
Richter is reputed to charge between $12,000 and $15,000 a day.[24]
Portrait unveiling
A portrait of Robert Richter KC and Philip Dunn KC, painted by artist Ralph Heimans, was unveiled in 2023 and is displayed at the Victorian Bar in Melbourne, in tribute to their combined contributions to the legal profession.[36]