The drug runner who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio will serve at least 28 years in prison before being considered for parole, a court heard today.
Bradley Murdoch shot Mr Falconio in the head before abducting and assaulting his girlfriend, Joanne Lees, at gunpoint on a remote stretch of highway near Barrow Creek, about 200 miles north of Alice Springs, on July 14th, 2001.
Fixing the 28-year non-parole period today, Chief Justice Brian Martin said Murdoch was a cold-blooded killer whose actions were "cowardly in the extreme" and who had shown a complete lack of remorse during the trial.
There was a "real prospect" that Murdoch (47) of Broome, Western Australia, would die in jail, the judge said. "You needlessly cut short the life of a young man who had an extremely bright future," the judge added.
"I am drawn to the conclusion that your prospects of rehabilitation are minimal. The nature of your crimes, your personal history, your obvious aggression and complete lack of remorse for the commission of the crimes or for the devastating impact upon others, coupled with your maturity, paint a bleak picture of your prospects of rehabilitation."
Mr Falconio's mother, Joan, told the Northern Territory Supreme Court in Darwin that Murdoch's actions had torn her family apart and that she had wanted to die "many times" after losing her son.
Ms Lees, who has faced constant smears since her boyfriend disappeared, said she had nightmares about being jailed after the attack, and said her dreams of marrying Mr Falconio and having his children had been destroyed. "It is lonely being me," she said.
The young couple had set out on a "trip of a lifetime" and were travelling along the Stuart Highway when Murdoch flagged them down in their orange camper van.
He shot Mr Falconio dead before threatening Ms Lees with a gun to her head, and tying her up with her hands behind her back. She managed to escape and hide in the bush for more than five hours before being rescued, but Mr Falconio was never seen again and no body has been found.