On November 11, 1991, a court was told that detectives framed a Melbourne brothel owner with two bombings to protect the business interests of another brothel owner.

The court heard senior consorting squad detectives Paul Higgins and Brian Murphy planted explosives at a home and a brothel office in 1978.

Each headed a three-man police team, the court was told.

Det-Sgt Higgins, 45, of Dandenong Rd, East Malvern, pleaded not guilty to five counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice and a count of conspiracy to pervert justice.

The court heard Higgins and other police received regular bribes and free sex to protect "brothel king" Geoffrey Lamb (left) from the law.

The prosecutor, Robert Redlich, QC, claimed Higgins was the ringleader of a police protection racket between 1978 and 1982.

Mr Redlich said Higgins and Det-Sgt Murphy had planted explosives at the home and office of brothel owner James Robert Slater on August 9, 1978, about a week after another two bombings.

On August 9, five detectives led by Higgins and Murphy went to the Collingwood home of brothel owner James Robert Slater about noon, the Prosecutor Mr Robert Redlich, QC. said.

He said they left after five to 10 minutes and the prosecution believed that was when a tin of detonators was planted in a child's toy box.

Mr Redlich alleged Higgins and Murphy had also planted gelignite under the filing cabinet at Mr Slater's brothel office earlier that morning.

Several hours later, search warrants had been obtained and the detectives raided both premises to find the explosives, the court heard.

Mr Redlich said Higgins had later gone to the home of Mr Lamb and laughed and joked about the explosives being found.

He said Higgins had no interest in properly investigating the matter and did not take statements from other people with access to areas where explosives were found.

Mr Slater had been charged but was acquitted when the matter went to trial.

On August 2, 1978 - between the two bombings - he had been in Mildura where he was booked by the Transport Regulation Board.

Mr Redlich said Mr Slater had closed his brothel after being charged.

He said the relationship between Higgins and Mr Lamb ultimately soured because of an affair between Higgins and Mr Lamb's wife, Lorraine Goyne.

The court heard Goyne died of a drug overdose in 1983.

Mr Redlich said evidence would be given of Mr Lamb counting money and setting aside about $1000 each week for "insurance".

He said Mr Lamb's daughter would tell of visits by Higgins to her father's home when she was a schoolgirl.

A junior officer to Higgins, Sen-Constable Neil Cheney, would tell how Higgins told him to make a false entry on a running sheet in 1980, Mr Redlich said.

He said Higgins had taken Cheney to a brothel in Rathdowne St, Carlton, to collect a .32 revolver from Mr Lamb.

Higgins had instructed Cheney to record that a gun had been received from an informant in Drummond St, Mr Redlich alleged.

Mr Redlich said Mr Lamb would say that Higgins had instructed him to tell internal police investigators he was an informer.