Former father-and-son fugitives and convicted killers Gino and Mark Stocco have failed to have their 40-year jail terms overturned.
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The pair was sentenced in March last year after pleading guilty to four charges for a crime spree that began in Canowindra before leading to the murder of 68-year-old Rosario Cimone.
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.
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 found the 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.
It was an advertisement in The Land newspaper which led the father and son to Canowindra in December of 2011.
Gino answered the ad placed by property owner Peter Fairley, and after discussions it was agreed he and his son Mark would work as caretakers on the Fairley property ‘Plenty’
But just three months or so after starting work at ‘Plenty’ the Stoccos told Mr Fairley they would have to leave for a short period of time.
When he hadn’t heard from either man for about three weeks Mr Fairley ended their employment and the Stoccos returned, collected their property and left.
Unbeknown to them, in March 2013 Mr Fairley sold the property to the Tidswell family.
Come August 29, 2014, the Stoccos were travelling through Canowindra on their way to Victoria when they decided to pay a visit to the property in order to refuel shortly after midnight
In his judgment, Justice David Davies said “upon entering the property both offenders described themselves as becoming agitated and angry because of the way they perceived they had been treated by Mr Fairley”.
As a result of this anger, Gino Stocco used a battery drill to slash and puncture the tyres on several vehicles, including a quad bike, a tip truck, a hay rake and a fencing trailer.
After filling their vehicle with diesel, a malfunction meant that fuel continued to run from the tank and pooled near the workshop shed that housed a John Deere tractor.
A fire was lit but around the same time the occupants of the house were woken by dogs barking and saw torch lights in the shed.
After they were disturbed, the Stoccos fled.
In 2015 the Stocco’s met Mr Cimone and moved to his property to work.
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.