A former Victorian detective gave slain police informer Terence Hodson's name to gangland killer Carl Williams and asked him to "take care of this dog", an inquest has been told.
Mr Hodson and his wife, Christine, were found dead at their Kew home in May 2004, shortly before Mr Hodson was due to give evidence in a criminal trial against drug squad detective Paul Dale.
Mr Dale and convicted killer Rodney Charles Collins were charged with the couple's murder in 2009, but the charges were withdrawn in 2010, following Williams' death in prison.
An inquest into the Hodsons' deaths on Tuesday heard there was a meeting in which Mr Dale gave Williams a piece of paper with Mr Hodson's name on it.
"(Mr Dale said), 'Can you take care of this dog for me and I'll have the money dropped off at your mother's'," a witness, who cannot be named, told the Victorian Coroners Court.
The witness said Mr Dale "appeared to be at ease" after the conversation.
He said Williams was focused on a rivalry with the Moran family at the time.
"I said: 'Carl, do you want me to take care of the Paul Dale matter?'
"He said no, he was going to get Rod Collins to do it."
The inquest has previously heard that Williams had claimed Mr Dale gave him $150,000 to hire a hitman to murder Mr Hodson.
A second unnamed witness said that before the killings, Williams had paid Mr Dale for information about six to seven times.
State Coroner Judge Ian Gray refused an application from Victoria Police to compel Collins and Mr Dale to give evidence at the inquest.
Judge Gray said it would have been desirable for the pair to testify, but on balance it was not in the interests of justice that they be forced to do so.
Mr Dale's barrister, Geoffrey Steward, last week told the court that police had made an "obsessional pursuit" of his client for more than 10 years, despite him consistently denying involvement.
"As far as Victoria Police are concerned, there are only two suspects, and he (Mr Dale) is one of them," Mr Steward said.
Collins, 69, is serving two life sentences for the shooting murders of Ramon and Dorothy Abbey at their Melbourne home in July 1987.
The inquest, which is being held to determine the identity of the Hodsons' killers and examine the adequacy of the protection they received, continues on Wednesday.
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