Book excerpt: As Melbourne's gangland war gathered momentum during the late 1990s, another battle was being fought within the police force by one brave cop. Young detective sergeant Simon Illingworth had joined the force to serve the public and make a difference. His world was forever shattered when he confronted police corruption head-on. Watching Melbourne's toughest killers working alongside his own colleagues made him sick to the guts. Simon soon discovered the price for standing up against them was death threats and isolation. A spate of events finally sent him to the point of no return. He was brutally bashed - not by crooks but other policemen from an entrenched corrupt brotherhood. A witness preparing to give court evidence against police was then found dead in an execution-style murder. And an underworld crim who was given Simon Illingworth's address was caught in possession of eight guns, night vision goggles and a silencer. Fearing for his life, in May 2004 this brave copper went public about the crisis facing the police force, in an episode of ABC Television's Australian Story that stopped the nation. Filthy Rat is a brutally honest and action-packed account of the fight against Melbourne's gangland crooks and the corrupt cops who were in their pockets. Simon Illingworth's decision to speak out would change the face of the Australian justice system forever.