Former father-and-son fugitives and convicted killers Gino and Mark Stocco have failed to have their 40-year jail terms overturned.
NABBED: Police officers take Gino Stocco into Dubbo Police Station after he and his son Mark were arrested at Elong Elong in October 2015.
The pair were sentenced in March last year after pleading guilty to four charges for a crime spree that included the murder of 68-year-old Rosario Cimone at an Elong Elong property.
The duo were dubbed modern-day bushrangers when they shot and sped their way through New South Wales in 2015, ending in a Henty shoot out to avoid capture.
In 2015 the Stoccos met Mr Cimone and moved to his property to work, and it was at that property that detectives attached to Orana Local Area Command ultimately tracked them down.
By October 2015 the relationship soured and an argument broke out with Mr Cimone.
Becoming worried that they would be kicked off the property, Mark Stocco handed the firearm to his father and told him to “shoot him”.
Gino Stocco shot Mr Cimone twice in the stomach area, killing him.
They dragged the deceased into thick scrub and placed leaves and branches over his body to cover their tracks.
Nine days later, they opened fire on a Wagga highway patrol officer to avoid arrest at Henty, sparking a massive police manhunt in October 2015.
Mark Stocco drove the car while Gino Stocco loaded a rifle and fired at the police vehicle.
The bullets hit the vehicle and Constable Kerslake, fearing for his safety, reversed his vehicle at speed.
Senior Constable Shaw and Senior Constable Woollatt then came across the vehicle and started to pursue it.
Mark Stocco fired at the police vehicles before the dramatic pursuit came to an end at an Elong Elong property.
On Monday, the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal on Monday dismissed the appeals on all grounds.
The court found that the judge was explicit when explaining that he imposed a lower non-parole period for Gino Stocco due to his age.
The court found that in each case the criminality was separate, distinct and serious. The court also heard a significant overall sentence was clearly required and the relativity between the totality of this criminality and the aggregate sentence was appropriate. Gino will be eligible for release in 2043 and Mark in 2045.
This story Stoccos unsuccessful in appeal to have sentences overturned first appeared on Daily Liberal.
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Nyngan Observer
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