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missmcspooks · 3 years ago

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THE TRAGIC AND BRUTAL MURDER OF ANITA COBBY

WHO WAS ANITA COBBY?

Anita Cobby was a beautiful 26 year old Australian woman who lived in Blacktown, New South Wales, and worked as a nurse. She was also married to a man named John Cobby, who she met while studying for her nursing degree at Sydney Hospital. During the time of Anita’s murder, the couple were actually separated, and she was living with her parents. The couple were actually in the process of reconciling. When Anita was younger, she participated in Beauty Pageants and even won the Miss Western Southern Pageant in 1979.

THE KIDNAPPING

On the night of February 2nd 1986, Anita Cobby was returning home after attending a dinner with her friends after her shift at Sydney Hospital. She got onto a train just a few minutes after 9PM so she could head to her parents home in Blacktown. When she got to the Blacktown station just before 10PM, Anita looked for a phone booth so she could call her father to come pick her up. Unfortunately, the public phone at the station had been broken, so she decided to just walk home. As she was walking a car slowed down beside her and came to a sudden halt. Two men jumped out of the car and pulled Anita inside, where there were three other men. These men were John Travers, 18, Michael Murdoch, 19, Michael Murphy, 33, Gary Murphy, 28, and Less Murphy, 22. While in the car she was told to remove all of her clothes, but Anita refused to comply, as she begged the men to let her go. She explained that she was married, and that she was also menstruating. The men did not care and beat her severely for disobeying them. After they beat her, they forcefully stripped her of her clothes, and made her perform oral sex on all five of them. Afterwards, they robbed Anita and stole her money to use for fuel at a gas station, and then drove her down Reen Road to the secluded paddock, and on the way there she was held down and repeatedly sexually assaulted and beaten.

THE MURDER

When they got into the paddock Anita was so badly beaten that she was unable to move, so then men dragged her along a barbed wire fence, and then dumped her there and continued to sexually assault and beat her. This brutal attack went on for a very long time. The man who actually murdered poor Anita, John Travers, admits in his recorded confession tape, that the reason he killed Anita was out of fear that if she somehow survived this ordeal she would be able to identify her attackers since she has seen their faces, their bodies, she knew the car they were driving, and had also heard their names. He brought this up to the others and told them that they had to kill her, and initially the other men were against this idea. They said that this was just supposed to be a thrill for raping and hurting someone, not to murder someone. Eventually he was able to convince the other men that this needed to be done, however they wanted no part in it and told John Traver to “do what he had to do.” John then walked towards Anita’s mangled up body, put a knife to her neck and slit her throat so deeply that her head was nearly decapitated.

AUTOPSY REPORT

Anita’s autopsy was extremely explicit. Besides all of the sexual assault, she additionally suffered from multiple scrapes, cuts, and lacerations all over her body and especially on her breasts. She had two black eyes that were swollen, a broken nose and two broken cheek bones. Along with self defense wounds she also had a finger that completely sliced open, from the tip of her finger down to her hand, most likely being from defending herself. On that same hand there were multiple broken fingers, and on her other hand, several of her fingers were completely sliced off. It’s believed that this happened due to trying to desperately grab the knife away from her attackers. There were no stab wounds on Anita’s body. Lastly, her neck was severely sliced open, nearly decapitating her.

FINDING AND IDENTIFYING ANITA’S BODY

When Anita didn’t return home, it was originally assumed that she spent the night at a friend's house. However, when she didn’t return the next day, a missing person alert was sent out. Everyone heard on the news about Anita being missing, and she was missing for two days before she was found by a farmer. It was actually on this farmer's property that Anita’s body was found. While he was out working on his farm, he noticed noises coming from the cows, and that they were all huddled around something. He figured it could’ve been a dead animal or something, so he went up to check and that’s where he saw Anita’s body. Horrified, he called the police and they took her body in so her family could identify her. The farmer told the police that he had actually heard a woman’s screams coming from the fields on the night of her disappearance, but didn’t go out to check because it was pretty common for teenagers to invade his fields, have parties, and just be loud and rowdy. If the farmer would have checked, it’s possible that he could’ve scared off the men before it was too late. It’s also equally as possible that the men would have attacked him as well. Anita’s husband was able to identify Anita’s body by her wedding ring. Her parents then came in, but her father told her mother not to go in there, as he doesn’t want her to see Anita in that state. He says that he just can’t believe that this happened to his daughter, but if it weren’t her, it would’ve been someone else's daughter.

THE TRIAL

The trial began on March 16th 1987, in Sydney. John Travers originally claimed he was not guilty, but on the day of the trial he changed his plea to guilty, and made a confession, which was recorded. The trial for the rest of the members lasted 54 days, which relied on the defendants trying to convince the jury that they had very little involvement with the rape, beatings, and her murder. However, the jury wasn’t buying it, and all five of the men were for guilty for the sexual assault and murder of Anita Cobby. They were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Michael Murphy ended up dying at the age of 66 in 2019, from terminal cancer. All four other men are still serving out their sentences in prison.

#true crime #true story #truecrime #true crime blog #true crime community #Crime

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jaeame-blog · 7 years ago

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The moment teen was stabbed in the heart at shopping centre | Blacktown Stabbing

A teenage boy is reportedly in a serious condition after being stabbed outside Westpoint. Police who responded after receiving reports of a brawl found a 20-year-old man with a stab wounds to the chest He was taken to Westmead Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A man has been charged with affray as police continue to investigate a stabbing at Blacktown early this morning, NSW Police say. He was charged with wounding a person with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

A man has been arrested following the stabbing of an 18-year-old man in Blacktown this afternoon. Another witness, Rhiannon, said it appeared the pair were "fighting over nothing". "And the guy just pulled out the knife and stabbed him," she said. The 17-year-old is in a critical condition in hospital after the brazen attack in Blacktown where he suffered a single stab wound to the heart.Police confirmed a 17-year-old boy was arrested at a home in Blacktown shortly after the attack and was being taken to Blacktown Police Station. A 33-year-old Sydney man will face court charged with stabbing another man in the back on the weekend.

Police would like to speak to anyone who saw or interacted with the young male on the train after the incident. Police were called to a car park on Alpha Street at Blacktown about 3.15am today, following reports of a brawl.Emergency services were called to an intersection in Blacktown at 2pm on Thursday where an 18-year-old was found with a stab wound to the upper torso, NSW Police said in a statement. A teenage boy is loaded into an ambulance after reportedly being stabbed outside Westpoint Blacktown. A teenage male is loaded into an ambulance after reportedly being stabbed outside Westpoint Blacktown. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Patrick and Main streets about 2.20pm , where they found a man with a stab wound to his upper torso. It is believed the alleged attacker fled to Blacktown train station with knife in hand, where he boarded a train to Seven Hills. A 17-year-old male has been arrested after a man was stabbed in the heart outside a busy western Sydney shopping centre. About 7.30am on Monday they arrested Brendan Stocks, 33, at a Riverstone home. A teenager has been stabbed in the heart in broad daylight on a street in western Sydney and is now in a critical condition in hospital. THE moments after a 17-year-old suffered a stab wound to his heart, leaving him in critical condition, have been captured on camera.

#Blacktown Stabbing

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sitebooking581 · 3 years ago

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leanpick · 4 years ago

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Man charged over Sydney stabbing

A man has been charged following a stabbing in Sydney’s west. Emergency services were called to a unit in Lalor Park, near Blacktown, around 8.40pm on Monday, where they found a 35-year-old woman suffering wounds to her face and arms, and a stab wound to her thigh. She was treated at the unit before being taken to Blacktown Hospital. A 58-year-old man was arrested at the scene and has been…

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foodrecipeblr-blog · 5 years ago

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News - NSW Police Public Site

News – NSW Police Public Site

Man missing from Guildford located Tuesday, 03 December 2019 10:41:54 PM

Charges laid after stabbing – Blacktown Tuesday, 03 December 2019 03:14:44 PM

Appeal for information as investigation continues over fatal pedestrian crash – Canley Vale Tuesday, 03 December 2019 01:14:35 PM

Three charged over aggravated break-in and attempted kidnapping – Green Valley Tuesday, 03 December 2019…

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featurenews · 5 years ago

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Sydney stabbing suspect Mert Ney faces murder charge after CBD rampage

Police search family home of 20-year-old, who has spent night in hospital after knife attack * What we know so far about the Sydney CBD knife attack A man who allegedly killed a woman in Sydney’s central business district before attacking others on a busy city street is expected to be charged with murder on Wednesday. Officers have been searching Mert Ney’s family home in Marayong in Sydney’s west after Tuesday’s violent rampage, as well as another address at Blacktown. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/14/sydney-stabbing-mert-ney-faces-charge-after-cbd-rampage?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

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toastedaz · 7 years ago

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I miss you, the rowdy 'cunt' that puts cigarettes out on guys penises for urinating next to girls, the crazy 'cunt' that would dance for 8 hours straight then kick on until Monday, I miss the big grin from ear to ear. The definition of seedy, but the sweetest person. You taught a lot of people to be kind and to love the little things in life, I don't think any of us realised you had given up. You made it babe, all by yourself you did it

In other words you miss me being a 10pk deep by 11pm every Saturday night... Look fuckn time of mi loyfe but its been two years, one of them spent half sober & I ain't got no friends, I had customers but not friends. I wasn't trying to die but I wasn't trying to make it to Monday. Its hard not to be kind with excessive amount of MDMA & anti Anxiety's in your system. I guess thats why everyone's done with me now because I'm 'sad' no cunt I'm just not peaking dick. Thank you, whoever you are I love you PS: I snapped that lit ciggie on that putrid cunts dick, disrespect my ladies he actually walked up to a group of us on the ground & started pissing in the middle of the circle & people tell me to be safe when I walk to maccas in Blacktown... People have no clue. I should of died in the cross from the shit I was pulling every damn weekend. The flursecent green arlyic paint, that I filled in samich bags stabbed holes & sqirted it all over the club. No one new it was me until the tunnel closed. Vomiting behind the pinball machines, that was my spot yo & if they didn't know they'd put there bags there hahahahhaha. Dancing on top of the pinball machines, doing handstands, backflips, cartwheels, fuck I even took my skateboard in there one night, Tim had a ride on toy car, fruit loops in the toilet, being so cooked you try hand a handless man a $2 coin, why? Because you found it while he was playing his set so its his. Working 45 hour weeks then being so fucking drained at sf that everyone would just let me sleep until 1:30. That convince store guy tho, he'd make easily $200 every Saturday just from me alone in ciggies & power aid & juice & chewy, we ended up becoming pretty good friends. I miss that time in my life, my prime. I miss having so much good energy around me so much love. I couldn't even get to the sf alley way without hearing "TOOOOASSSTTYYY" it was beautiful such want & need just for people to convo with me. But times come & pass. Starfuckers will always hold a very close place to my heart as does every single person I met within those 5 years. It really was home, it saved my life, those 3 guys saved my life & they know it too. It was home, no matter how lost or fucked your week was you always new you could go home to starfuckers at 8pm on Saturday night everyone will now your name, everyone will hug you bigger then the moon, you could talk to anyone about anything group therapy for over 100 western Sydney kids mingling in the same room deep under kings cross. I wasn't too rowdy I still respected what the boys were doing as a collective revolution in club music within NSW. I tall about this to people & seem pathetic like it's just a club buy it wasn't just a club it wasn't at all, it was more of an exclusive alternative outcast mentally deranged social gathering venue where we could all unleash & unfold & find our self's noone judged unless you obviously didn't belong in your mini shirt & nipple covers. It was a home for so many lost kiddies, I met the most amazing people, the only people I could call if I needed anything are people I met within those 4 walls. I miss it, I miss having a home where everything was okay because on Saturday 8pm I got to be safe & happy & be myself. It was an amazing time. I'm still trying to find my new home since I lost it 2 years ago. I miss everyone so much but none of us are those people anymore. I lived for that place, even when I had no where to go I knew I just had to wait until Saturday around 6pm & I can go home & set up. I wouldn't have made it this far if those 3 men didn't create such a unique empire.

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jaeame-blog · 7 years ago

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The moment teen was stabbed in the heart at shopping centre | Blacktown Stabbing

A man has been charged with affray as police continue to investigate a stabbing at Blacktown early this morning, NSW Police say. A teenager is in a critical condition after being stabbed in the chest outside Westpoint this afternoon. A man has been arrested following the stabbing of an 18-year-old man in Blacktown this afternoon. A 33-year-old Sydney man will face court charged with stabbing another man in the back on the weekend.

He was charged with wounding a person with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm. A 17-year-old male has been arrested after a man was stabbed in the heart outside a busy western Sydney shopping centre. A teenage male is loaded into an ambulance after reportedly being stabbed outside Westpoint Blacktown.Another witness, Rhiannon, said it appeared the pair were "fighting over nothing". "And the guy just pulled out the knife and stabbed him," she said. Emergency services were called to the intersection of Patrick and Main streets about 2.20pm , where they found a man with a stab wound to his upper torso.

A teenage boy is reportedly in a serious condition after being stabbed outside Westpoint. Police confirmed a 17-year-old boy was arrested at a home in Blacktown shortly after the attack and was being taken to Blacktown Police Station.About 7.30am on Monday they arrested Brendan Stocks, 33, at a Riverstone home. THE moments after a 17-year-old suffered a stab wound to his heart, leaving him in critical condition, have been captured on camera. It is believed the alleged attacker fled to Blacktown train station with knife in hand, where he boarded a train to Seven Hills. A teenage boy is loaded into an ambulance after reportedly being stabbed outside Westpoint Blacktown. The St Michael's Primary School Blacktown student and his grandmother were victims of an ice-fuelled rampage. A teenager has been stabbed in the heart in broad daylight on a street in western Sydney and is now in a critical condition in hospital. Police who responded after receiving reports of a brawl found a 20-year-old man with a stab wounds to the chest He was taken to Westmead Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Emergency services were called to an intersection in Blacktown at 2pm on Thursday where an 18-year-old was found with a stab wound to the upper torso, NSW Police said in a statement. The 17-year-old is in a critical condition in hospital after the brazen attack in Blacktown where he suffered a single stab wound to the heart.

#Blacktown Stabbing

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bestnewswebsites · 7 years ago

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Man arrested teenager stabbed in chest in Blacktown Sydney

http://dlvr.it/PzKYj5

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meanwhileinoz · 7 years ago

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Teenager Fighting For Life After Being Stabbed Near Blacktown Shopping Centre https://t.co/vG0zhxAFDW

— UNCUT Australia (@UNCUT_Australia) November 2, 2017

https://twitter.com/UNCUT_Australia

#meanwhile in australia #Australia #Sydney #Melbourne

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myquizzilablog · 8 years ago

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Which internet browser do you use? Chrome.

Have you ever lived on a university campus? No but I’d love to at least once.

Do you know anyone who is a firefighter? Yeah I know someone who has been one

What’s your favorite alcoholic beverage? I don’t drink alcohol

When was the last time you saw a photo of your ex? I don’t have an ex, but the guy I’ve come closest to having a relationship with just a couple of weeks ago

Do you have any piercings besides your earlobes? No

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What time is it right now? 10:33 PM

What color are your eyes? Brown

Do you “binge-watch” tv shows? Sometimes

What is your opinion of clowns? Don’t care about em

Did you wear a necklace today? No

Have you ever received a compliment from a stranger? Yeah

Do you plan ahead when it comes to your outfits? Hardly ever anymore

What color is your front door? Cream

Do you take the stairs or the elevator? Either

Do you know anyone who lives in Long Island, New York? Nope

When was the last time you wore a button up shirt? Can’t remember

What’s your favorite song at the moment? In Bloom by Nirvana

How many times have you consumed alcohol? Not that many times

Do you often forget what you were just about to say? Not often

When was the last time you were at a party? Can’t remember

Do you own any striped sweaters? Yes I love them

Have there ever been any forest or grass fires in your area? House fires

Do you ever get any important emails that need attention? Yeah

Are you any good at packing a suitcase?: I think I would be

What are you hungry for right now, if anything?: Nothing

Have you ever had a white hot chocolate? What did you think?: Nope but I’d love to try

What will you be doing in twenty minutes from now?: No idea

Is there anybody in your house’s bathroom right now?: No

Have you ever witnessed a serious physical fight?: No

How much does gas cost in your area?: between 105 - 117 cents per litre.

Are you a fidgety sort of person?: Sometimes

What was the last thing you ordered at a restaurant?: Tomato omelette

How do you like to spend your alone time?: On social media, watching a movie or tv show, reading a book, looking up facts, talking to friends

Have you ever mowed a lawn?: Yeah, briefly

On average, how many hours a day do you spend online?: Not sure

When was the last time you were yelled at? What had you done wrong?: Some stupid reason by my mom

Do you enjoy corn on the cob?: Yeah :)

Is there anything good on television at this very moment?: I recently watched sense8 and loved it.

Have you ever bought alcohol or cigarettes for someone underage? Nah

Do you do your laundry regularly, or do you let it pile up?: Let it pile up

Did you ever play Habbo Hotel when you were younger?: No

What about Neopets?: No

Have you ever had to comfort a friend over the death of a loved one?: No

In your opinion, what’s the ideal age to start having children?: Don’t matter, it depends on the person

Have you ever stabbed a friend in the back, intentionally or not?: Don’t think so

What’s the longest you’ve ever slept in one go?: No idea, I sleep too much, too often

Do you check the weather forecast everyday?: No

Have you ever dated someone with an accent different than yours? I kind of have to, I live in Australia

What brand is your desktop or laptop?: Apple

Do you enjoy the smell and taste of cinnamon?: Taste

If you use Snapchat, have you ever had a screenshot taken of you?: Yeah I think so

Who were you last in a car with and where were you going?: With mom, we went to Blacktown and Grandma’s

Does caffeine affect you, or not so much?: Coffee hypes me up and makes me sweaty and dizzy sometimes, cola makes me feel full and drained, tea is the only safe ground.

Do you make your bed everyday?: No

Is your birthday before August? No

Are you an Aries? No

Would you consider yourself artistic? In a way yes

Are you a brunette? Not quite

Where is your dad right now? His physical body is in a casket and his spirit is roaming around somewhere probably trying to find a freaking place that acknowledges him :(

Is it past 11am? Yeah

Are you a Gemini? No

What do you hear right now? Some stupid show on TV and the sound of rain

Does your birthday fall in the months of January, June, or July? No

Do you regret your last kiss? No

Do you have any kids? No

What is your favorite kind of music? Anything that makes me feel

Do you have any nieces or nephews? Kind of.

Do you live on your own? No

Are you the oldest child? Sometimes feel like it

Do you know anyone who lives in Oregon? Yeah

Do you have any pets? Two cats

How many tattoos do you have? None as of yet

Are you a twin? No

Do you own an umbrella? Yeah

Are you under 21? No

Have you ever been to Utah? No

Have you ever been to Vatican City? No

Can you whistle? No

How many X-rays have you had in the last 2 years? None

Are you on good terms with your last ex? If my ex were Matt, hell no.

Do you own an Xbox? No

Who is the youngest person living in the same household as you? Brother

Are you wearing anything yellow? No

How many zippers are on the clothing you’re wearing? None

What time did you wake up this morning? 8 AM

How nice of a person are you, honestly? I’m nice to everybody who deserves it

Is there something you should be doing right now, besides this survey? Sleeping

What color shirt are you wearing? White and blue stripes

Did you wake up in the middle of the night last night? No

Are you planning on having sex tonight? No

Have you ever suspected anyone of cheating on you? Not really

Have you ever done volunteer work just because you wanted to? Yeah

Does your bedroom door lock? No

Do you think the last person you texted is a virgin? (You don’t have to tell us who the person is, just say yes or no.) Lol she’s married and has two sons.

Has your partner ever accused you of cheating when you actually didn’t? No

What is a word that starts with the second to last letter of your name? Angel

Do you generally look nice in photos? No

Do you ever wonder what the world will be like in the distant future, when you’re long gone? Yeah, I honestly hope a lot of people have woken up and gone vegan/vegetarian

What color are your father’s eyes? Brown

If I handed you a concert ticket right now, who would you want to be the performer? Lana Del Rey

Do you like when it rains? Sometimes

What’s a movie you cried while watching? Heart and souls.

Do you think you’re important? I think I’m important to a few people, at least.

Have you ever sang at a karaoke bar? If so, what songs? Yes, that was a real memorable night. Singing with a couple of the people I met on yik yak including Zac. Getting him a drink

Do you think you could lead a country? No

Have you been diagnosed with any mental disorders? Yeah

Have you ever viewed the moon through a telescope? I want to

Do you normally finish one book before starting another? I hardly ever get to the end

What is the last dream that you remember? I was killing a red back spider and then I went and masturbated in the bathroom. It was naughty, I liked that

Is there anything you’d like to buy right now? Theres a lot of things I would like to buy

Do you know how to play chess? No

Would you ever consider getting a piercing in your septum? No

Do you enjoy being outdoors? Sometimes

Do you prefer road trips or traveling on an airplane? Both

Do you cuss? Yeah

Is there anyone you would take a bullet for? Yeah

Are you a virgin? No

Have you ever touched a dead body? Yeah

Did you have a Furby when you were younger? No

Did or do you get good grades in English class? Yeah

Would you shave your head for a million dollars? No.

X-files, Lost, or Twin Peaks? Haven’t watched any but I find X-Files most appealing

Do you have a passport? If so, how many stamps do you have in it? I have one but it’s not valid

Are there any keys on your keyboard that have letters fading away? No

What was the last thing you spent more than $20 on and where did you get it? A suitcase and Kmart

What do you plan on having for dinner? I had Pizza

Were you ever rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room? Yeah, family and I had a pretty bad car accident

Do you find it easy to fall asleep at night, or do you toss and turn for ages? Depends how tired I am

When was the last time you were at the hospital, and why? Six years ago for dad

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viralhottopics · 8 years ago

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Anita Cobby murder: ‘Everyone in the car that dreadful night had a passport to doom’

Thirty years after the trial of five men for the shocking attack on a Sydney nurse, then public defender Bill Hosking reflects on his part in it

The tragedy that would shock the whole of Australia began just before 10pm on 2 February 1986. A registered nurse, 26-year-old Anita Cobby, had been having dinner with friends after finishing her shift at Sydney hospital on Macquarie Street, next to state Parliament House in the city.

She caught the 9.12pm train to Blacktown in outer-western Sydney to her parents home, where she was living after recently separating from her husband. On arrival at Blacktown station just before 10, she went to find a phone to call her father. The usual routine was for Cobby to phone her father, Gary Lynch, to collect her by car. This was well before mobile phones and the public phone at the station had been vandalised, so Cobby decided to walk home.

As she did, an HT Holden Kingswood slowed beside her and stopped. Two of the five male occupants jumped out and grabbed her, pulling her into the car as she screamed. Cobby was then robbed, bashed, raped and tortured before having her throat cut. So severe was the cut, it almost left her decapitated. Her bloodied, naked body was left in a secluded cow paddock at Prospect, not far from Blacktown, and was not discovered for two days.

Everyone in the car that dreadful night had a passport to doom. None more so than poor Cobby.

When Cobbys body was found, the New South Wales government posted a $50,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest. In the hope of jogging memories, a police officer dressed as Cobby travelled on the 9.12 pm train to Blacktown while her colleagues interviewed passengers. Cobbys murder was front-page news. Gruesome details of the offences and the harrowing atrocity gradually unfolded.

Anita Cobby, who went missing on 2 February 1986. Photograph: AAP

Understandably, the community, indeed the whole of Australia, was outraged. Even the police involved in the investigation were deeply affected. Led by Detective Sergeant Ian Kennedy, a top detective of his day, it took police just under three weeks to track down, arrest and charge five men with the murder.

They were 19-year-olds John Travers and Michael Murdoch, and the Murphy brothers, 33-year-old Michael, 28-year-old Gary and 22-year-old Leslie. The five were hated and reviled by the community. They all came from deprived backgrounds and were of below-average intelligence. They were petty criminals accused of a major crime. I was briefed to appear for Michael Murphy.

Given the dreadful nature of the crime, the atmosphere in the community after the arrest of Cobbys alleged killers was one of brooding malevolence. It manifested at the first formal court appearance of the five accused at the tiny Westmead coroners court.

Opened in 1984, Westmead coroners court was brand new and located inside the grounds of the huge Westmead hospital complex. Uniformed police were present in large numbers in case of trouble. Ominously, a dummy dangled from a noose tied to a tree branch. A large crowd had gathered. Some held up placards calling for the restoration of the death penalty. Showing solidarity with Cobby, uniformed nurses were prominent. The magistrate was the city coroner, Derrick Hand. Formalities were short and Hand promptly fixed the committal proceedings for the more secure surroundings of the coroners court on Parramatta Road at Glebe.

As the prison van edged out of the Westmead hospital, the crowd surged forwards. They banged on the sides of the van and booed and catcalled. It was clear the chances of finding a sympathetic jury in the Sydney metropolitan area or the world were zero, and chances of finding a cool and impartial one were slight.

Bill Hosking QC, who acted as public defender for Michael Murphy. Photograph: Harlequin

Before the advent of the public solicitor and legal aid, the unrepresented accused standing trial was at a tremendous disadvantage. The role of counsel for the accused in any criminal trial can be controversial, particularly where there has been a grave crime. Defence counsel has a duty to act for his or her client with vigour, but also with ethical propriety.

There is a popular misconception that a true defence counsel must believe in the clients innocence. Nothing can be further from the truth. A competent and vigorous defence is essential to a fair trial. The personal belief of counsel is irrelevant. The lawyers duty is to argue, firmly, the case of their clients and not to express a personal opinion.

Often, this is forgotten by the public. The so-called cab rank principle simply restates the rule that barristers do not choose their clients. If it were the other way around, despised causes and hated accused would be denied an experienced, professional voice. Fearless independence for barristers is fundamental. Even more so where there is a public defender involved who holds that independent statutory office with all its privileges and its responsibilities.

In seeking the convictions of the five men, the crown relied upon the legal doctrine of common purpose. To explain common purpose, judges use an example of two would-be bank robbers. One drives the getaway car, while the other enters the bank and demands cash of the teller using a replica pistol. The teller refuses and is then shot. It turns out the pistol was not a replica. Both men are charged with murder although the driver has never left the car. There follow disputed questions of fact and law. First of all, was there an agreement to use a replica and not a real pistol? The answer could be decisive in determining the drivers level of criminal responsibility. Likewise, did the driver know his accomplice well enough to reasonably expect him to bring a real pistol and use it? In other words, you can still be guilty of murder if you have never set eyes on the victim let alone wanted them to be killed.

The defence of each of the accused in the Anita Cobby case was that Travers alone had the knife. Travers alone stabbed Cobby. He alone was to blame for her death. The crown case was, irrespective of what each actually did that night, all were equally responsible for her death and each was guilty of murder. Because each knew what Travers was likely to do, therefore all were equally culpable under common purpose. For the crown, this was true as a matter of law and, equally compellingly, as a matter of fact and common sense. Even so, questions remained as to the extent of each accuseds personal involvement. In that respect, their signed confessions were the crowns trump cards.

The defence claimed the confessions were obtained improperly and by force. To present the clients case, those allegations had to be put. They were all denied by the police. Mere presence that night in the car, then the cow paddock, leaving aside what each offender himself did, was a matter of the gravest wickedness. The law, through the courts, had the task of determining the degree of culpability using rules that have evolved over centuries and long before 1788 and the arrival of the First Fleet, carrying with it the invisible cargo of the common law.

The line of defence that emerged was, even accepting the crown case, the worst that could be sheeted home to Murdoch and the Murphys for the death, in terms of legal liability, was the crime of manslaughter. That line of reasoning was barely intellectually respectable but, nonetheless, required a competent presentation to the jury. Was only Travers accountable for murder and one or more of the remaining four only guilty of manslaughter? This had to be considered calmly and unemotionally and, I have to tell you, on these facts it was not an easy task, even for an experienced defence counsel like me. That initial question was limited, of course, to the homicide, not the rape and sexual brutality. My difficult role was to seek to protect the interests of Michael Murphy.

Anita Cobby, right, with her younger sister Kathryn Szyszka. Photograph: AAP

On 16 March 1987 when the trial began in historic No 5 court at Darlinghurst, the central criminal court, the bar table was crowded with five, sometimes six, robed barristers and their instructing solicitors for what the press soon described as the trial of the century.

Closest to the judge, with his own lectern, was the grim, unsmiling crown prosecutor, Alan Slipper Saunders, QC. The origin of the soubriquet Slipper is lost in the mists of time. It was definitely not derived from being a soft and comfortable opponent. The crown had no better or more able advocate. He dominated the bar table with his reputation, experience and sheer forensic skill. We had been regular opponents over the years. I didnt like him. He didnt like me.

The days proceedings always began with what became a ritual loud knock on the large oak door leading from the judges private chambers. Preceded by his tipstaff wearing a black frock coat and carrying a white staff topped with an elaborate gold crown, in came the judge. Not a tall man, he was resplendent, wearing the royal scarlet robes of a supreme court judge sitting in the courts criminal jurisdiction. Justice Maxwell was the epitome of duty, courtesy and dignity.

The usually solemn atmosphere at Darlinghurst was absent the morning the trial began. A huge number of potential jurors milled around in front of the sandstone pillars, spilling over on to the lawns fronting Taylor Square and Oxford Street. Television crews seemed everywhere, as were radio network reporters. The press had their usual, reserved, prime seats on the judges left, facing the jury.

The police had done their duty. The magistrate, Hand, his. Next, the crown prosecutor and his instructing solicitors were ready. The judge and the jury were now in place. Also present, in almost reviled solitude, were the lawyers all funded on the modest legal aid rates, except me, on the salary of a public defender. The others would only receive the extremely nominal legal aid fees of the time in accepting these briefs. Far from helping the four other barristers careers, or bank balances, appearing in this trial was a positively negative factor. There are no lawyers made rich on the meagre fees paid for by legal aid cases. It is done as a noble service by the profession.

The concept of legal aid itself seemed to be on trial. Legal aid is effectively the postwar creation of the NSW McKell Labor government, ensuring the honest battler is not subsumed by the power of the state. I lost count of the number of friends and strangers who asked me, Why on earth would you accept a case like this? or, Do you enjoy it? There is a simple answer, apart from duty. There are many, many occupations and professions which are not only more unpleasant but some are also very dangerous. There is the challenge of appearing in what you know is a losing brief for a particularly despised client. Particularly, where there is no real issue as to identity, and the crime is so harrowing and has such cruelty, there will be not a scintilla of public sympathy for your client. This was such a case. During it and afterwards I received considerable personal criticism for accepting the brief. Even my son, James, who was still at school, was criticised by other boys. They wanted to know why his father would appear in such a terrible case.

This trial clearly raised the question, does the community want symbolic or real representation for major criminals? Under our system the accused is not guilty until our grand, but still imperfect, system has run its full course. The spectacular miscarriages of justice staining our history highlights the still inherent dangers which arise through human fallibility. A major safeguard is that all court proceedings with the rarest of exceptions are open to the public and, perhaps more importantly, open to and subject to intense scrutiny by the media. There was certainly no absence of that for this trial.

In such a case, where there is justifiable community anger, counsel has at least two options. One can merely go through the motions to ensure it appears the formalities of a fair trial were observed. Alternatively, counsel does what he or she should do in every case. That is, to do ones professional best for a client who would not have a clue what that involves.

Opening the crown case to the jury, Alan Saunders QC lived up to his reputation, describing in detail the callousness Anita Cobby suffered. He described Cobbys ordeal as sustained degradation, brutal, unbridled lust culminating in one of the most savage brutal murders the state has ever known. Any wonder the media called it the trial of the century.

Anita Cobbys parents at her grave site. Photograph: AAP

The first witness set an atmosphere of indescribable sadness: Cobbys father, Gary Lynch. He was a tall, dignified figure. He gave brief, formal identification evidence relating to his late daughter. While he did so the silence in the courtroom was deafening. He then joined his wife at the back of the court where they remained for the duration of the trial. Gary and Grace Lynch attended the trial each day. They showed great dignity. Because of police fears, security was tight and gallery and lawyers alike were searched after each adjournment. In the process, Cobbys parents often had to stand in a line with their daughters killers lawyers. Never once did they show anything other than class. Propriety and protocol prevented us from exchanging a single word.

Michael Murdoch. Photograph: NSW police/AAP

There were no eyewitnesses to Cobbys ordeal, and the principal evidence was the individual confessions. It must be said, the account of one in the others confessions could not legally be used against another. This means the confession can be used to prove the guilt of its author but not prove guilt against any co-accused mentioned in it. This is a safe and fair way to view confessions, because the confessor may want to shift the blame to their co-accused. It should be for a jury, hearing evidence, to determine the accountability of each accused.

The exception to this rule is where the co-accused agrees with anothers confession. More astute police try this stratagem, to get offenders to agree with each others confessions, even in part, thereby implicating themselves. While not unlawful, the strategy is discouraged. Accepting the confessors account only against the person making it is a technical but important rule. The crown had the powerful advantage of not having to ask the jury to rely on circumstantial evidence alone but on the words out of each accuseds own mouth.

Leslie Murphy. Photograph: NSW police/AAP

At the outset, sadly, there could be no argument about the fact poor Anita Cobby had been murdered. The trial was all about, 1. the involvement of all or any of the accused; 2. if that issue were resolved adversely, the extent of involvement; and 3. having decided the extent of legal liability, whether the particular accused is guilty of murder or manslaughter.

In part, Michael Murphys case, and that of his two brothers and Michael Murdoch, was that Travers inflicted the fatal wounds on Cobby with a knife and was acting on his own account. Travers had pleaded guilty to this. So far as the murder charge was concerned there was really no direct evidence to support a conviction of the others for murder on the basis they assisted or encouraged Travers to commit murder. Michael Murphy allegedly told the police, I didnt want her to be killed. [Travers is] a maniac. Its his fault, I told him not to kill her Hes a fucking lunatic. I just wanted to piss off What I done Im prepared to cop. Its just that cunt, Travers

Michael Murphy. Photograph: NSW police/AAP

In legal terms, it was the defendants case that they were neither party to a common purpose to commit murder, nor had they intentionally assisted or encouraged Travers to commit the murder. That was not technical legalistic jargon. It was fundamental. It must be conceded on the crown case there was evidence they, as Travers co-offenders, were criminally liable either as principals or accessories for the murder, as well as the other grave crimes alleged. They denied this.

Defence strategy in this trial was to seek to avoid confronting and emphasising prejudicial evidence and to direct the focus to more favourable features. That is easy to say, but the harsh reality of the situation was such favourable facts were thin on the ground. Michael Murphys defence was a legal nightmare. On his instructions, he was not guilty of any crime. The law provides being present when a crime is committed is not an offence. But to infer that co-accused John Travers, who pleaded guilty, committed the murder of his own volition, was to stretch reality beyond credible limits.

Gary Murphy. Photograph: NSW police/AAP

The reading [of the accuseds statements] was damaging stuff, but nothing compared with the police photographs of the scene and the postmortem details. Again, what was my clients defence? I wasnt there, and If I was, it was for sex and not for murder.

Merely stating those horrible alternatives underlines the gargantuan task facing the defence. Given the basis of the Travers is a maniac defence, this unanswerable question always loomed large: Why, then, ever be in his company?

I repeat, this was not an easy case.

John Travers. Photograph: NSW police/AAP

The inscrutability and confidentiality of the jury room shields the tenor of their deliberations. They were instructed by the judge to banish prejudice and, to use the words of the jurors oath, to well and truly try and true deliverance make. Pre-judgment and prejudice would have brought swift verdicts. The jury deliberated all day and were locked up in a secret location overnight to continue their deliberations. They were obviously conscientious and, from time to time, sought Justice Maxwells help. All communications were proper and in open court in the presence of the accused.

First thing the next morning, all accused were convicted on all counts.

The morning for the sentencing had arrived. At 10am there was a slight delay, as Anita Cobbys parents were not in court. When they arrived, all that remained was the formal ritual of judgment. Everyone in court thought they knew the result: life. Even so, there still was the possibility that release one day would not be excluded. Personally, I wondered if a future government would ever be brave enough to give any of the five an opportunity for release, however deserving. It would be, I thought, decades away before such a decision would have to be made.

The judge entered and was seated. Then the five accused, together for the first time since the first day of the trial, were brought up into the dock. There were police everywhere. The atmosphere in the courtroom was one of unprecedented tension. So high was the emotion, at one stage, the experienced, calm and respected judge, Maxwell, was moved to tears.

The press recorded him stopping with tears in his eyes and drinking a glass of water before resuming his remarks. Defence counsel had faced a hopeless task in securing a calm, detached hearing from the jury, but I had never seen a judge so upset before. When Maxwell formally passed the sentences, penal servitude for life, the dignity of the central criminal court gave way to wild scenes, and uniformed sheriffs struggled perfunctorily to restore order. The court had momentarily descended into unseemly uproar. In addition Maxwell specified and passed upon each of the five the following sentences: kidnapping, 16 years; robbery with wounding, 17 years; maliciously inflict bodily harm with intent to have sexual intercourse, 12 years; and theft of a motor vehicle, five years. To put it bluntly, the long concurrent sentences imposed were purely academic gestures.

Maxwell concluded with these words: The circumstances of these prisoners and the circumstances of the murder of Anita Lorraine Cobby prompt me to recommend that the official files of each prisoner should be clearly marked, Never to be released.

This is an edited extract from Justice Denied by Bill Hosking QC and John Suter Linton (Harlequin, $32.99)