Bush bandits Gino and Mark Stocco will each be in jail until the latter part of their lives after being sentenced for a string of offences in the NSW Supreme Court on Friday.
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The father and son duo, who were captured near Elong Elong on October 27 2015, appeared before Justice David Davies for sentencing after pleading guilty to a myriad of charges, the most serious being the murder of Rosario Cimone near the same village on October 7, 2015.
They were also facing charges of recklessly destroying property by fire, and discharging a firearm to avoid apprehension with those matter relating to events at Canowindra on August 29, 2014, and Mangoplah on October 16, 2015 respectively.
Gino Stocco, 59, was handed a 40-year-jail term with a non-parole period of 28 years.
It means the earliest he can be released is October 27, 2043, at which time he will be 85 years of age, and Justice Davies noted that in his judgment summary.
“The overall sentence imposed is likely to mean he has no real prospect of being released on parole,” he said, citing the special circumstance as the sole reason for the discrepancy between non-parole periods handed out.
His son Mark, 37, was also given an aggregate sentence of 40 years however his non-parole period is 30 years. He will not be eligible for release until October 27, 2045, at which time he will be 66 years of age.
Both offenders were given a 25 per cent discount on their jail terms by way of pleading guilty at the earliest available opportunity.
Justice Davies said that he accepted there had been no planning or premeditation involved in the murder of Mr Cimone, who was shot by Gino Stocco at the urging of his son.
He added the killing was “coldblooded, callous and without any rational justification”.