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Prosecutors have asked for National Crime Authority (NCA) bomber Domenic Perre to be imprisoned with no hope of parole, as the victims' families labelled him "evil", "worthless" and a "stain on society".
Key points:
- Domenic Perre was found guilty in June of murder and attempted murder over the 1994 NCA bombing
- Peter Wallis's daughter said her family was profoundly changed by his attempted murder
- Perre's lawyer said his client played no part in the bombing
The families of the NCA bombing victims told South Australia's Supreme Court they would never forgive Perre, who, in June, was found guilty of the March 1994 bombing in Adelaide that killed Detective Sergeant Geoffrey Bowen and seriously injured lawyer Peter Wallis.
Perre sent a parcel bomb to Detective Sergeant Bowen's Waymouth Street office as revenge for the police officer's investigation into the Perre family's drug business.
Perre was immediately identified as a suspect, but the first set of charges were dropped in September 1994 and it was not until 2018 that he was charged again, before being found guilty of murder and attempted murder by Justice Kevin Nicholson, after a seven-month trial.
Mr Wallis's daughter, Genevieve Wallis, who was eight years old at the time of the bombing, read a victim impact statement to the court outlining the trauma and terror the crime had inflicted on her and her family's lives.
Her father lost an eye in the bombing and had burns to 35 per cent of his body.
While reading it aloud to the court, she glanced over at Perre at various points.
"After the events of the bombing in March 1994, we were terrified, traumatised and robbed of our innocence," she said.
"There is no doubt the man who came home from hospital after the bombing was not the dad we'd known before."
She said after the bombing, her father had lived with profound PTSD and, "through osmosis", she had too.
"At his worst, Dad was paranoid, strict, volatile, temperamental and quick to anger," Ms Wallis said.
"It sickens me that such a blatant disregard for human life, with the intent to cause maximum carnage, can exist within another human."
Ms Wallis's statement was one of nine victim impact statements read out to the court, in front of Perre, who appeared to have his eyes closed for the majority of the time.
Mr Bowen's son Simon, who was five years old at the time, labelled Perre a "worthless human being" in his victim impact statement that was read out by the prosecution.
"You caused so much hurt, irreparable damage and suffering, all for what?" he asked.
"All so you could grow some dope and walk about South Australia like a wannabe gangster in your big, black glasses?
"You are a stain on society and a stain on your family.
"[But] once again, good has triumphed over evil."
Widow tells of impact on young family
In another victim impact statement, Mr Bowen's widow, Jane Bowen-Sutton, said the bombing, which took place on the couple's ninth wedding anniversary, was the worst day of her life.
She described how her life had since been defined by before and after the bombing, and recalled how she had to tell her sons, who were aged five and seven, that their father had been killed.
In a statement read out by the prosecution, she said her son's reaction still haunted her.
"You, Domenic Perre, are evil," she said.
"You have never shown any remorse or taken responsibility for what you have done."
Perre's lawyer did not make a submission against the prosecution's submission for no parole.
He told the court Perre wished to convey his sympathies to the families affected by the bombing, but he maintained his innocence.
He said Perre wished to reiterate he played no part in the bombing and was not responsible for Mr Bowen's death or Mr Wallis's injuries.
Perre will be sentenced next month.
He has sought leave to appeal against his conviction.