Family members of victims Stephen and Jacob Cumberland leave the Dubbo courthouse on Wednesday.
Family members of Rebecca Webb and “inseparable” father and son Stephen and Jacob Cumberland have shed tears as they told a Supreme Court hearing at Dubbo nothing could replace their murdered loved ones.
Allan Geoffrey OConnor sat in the dock as the statements were given on Wednesday, two days after he was found guilty of the triple homicide at Hermidale near Nyngan in 2015.
The verdict was delivered after a four-week trial.
OConnor, 64, is facing the prospect of a maximum term of life behind bars.
At the sentencing hearing, family members told of the devastation the crimes had wrought.
Stephen Cumberlands sister, Heather, told of having “nightmares about the terror of that night” and what the victims would have gone through.
“No human deserves such a brutal and cruel death,” she said.
The court heard her brother and his son were “an inseparable pair”.
The aunty and godmother of “Jakey”, she said he was gentle and loving.
Her “larrikin” brother Stephen loved his family and his farm, she said.
“Nothing can replace the boys, nothing can fill the void,” she said.
Stephens daughter Nicole took the stand and described the special bond she had with her younger sibling, aged 28 at the time of his death.
“Jakey was my baby brother… Ill never get to see his beautiful smile,” she said.
Nicole recalled her fathers generosity.
“Dad was so easy-going, he would give you the last $5 from his wallet,” she said.
Sue Cumberland told the court her son Jacob was a “gentle giant”, whose “bear hugs” she missed.
She said she and her former husband Stephen had shared 32 years together and that she missed their talks.
“The only solace” she had was that Stephen and Jacob were still together, as they had been life, she said.
Susan Webb described daughter “Becky” as a “fun-loving, happy” person who “loved life”.
The grieving mother struggled to speak through her emotions as she said the day she was told of her 36-year-olds daughters murder was “the worst time” of her life.
“The thought she was no longer with us… was unbearable,” she said.
“…I just want to hold Becky and tell her how much I love her and miss her.”
Justice Robert Hulme will hand down the sentence on Thursday.
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Nyngan Observer
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