Arthur Freeman
Arthur Freeman threw his four-year-old daughter, Darcey, off Melbourne's Westgate Bridge in January 2009.
Darcy Freeman was thrown by her father, Arthur (inset) off the Westgate Bridge. Darcy Freeman's mum, Peta Barnes, leaves court.
In sentencing to Life without Parole, Mr Freeman to life in prison more than two years after that January day, Justice Paul Coghlan seemingly summed it up when he said, “You brought the broader community into this case in a way that has been rarely, if ever, seen before. It offends our collective conscience.”
The court at Freeman's trial heard he had rung his ex-wife Peta while he had Darcey and her older brother in the car and told her “just say goodbye….you'll never see them again”.
In sentencing Freeman, Justice Coghlan said “I have no doubt your resentment you bore your [former] wife had been building up for some time.”
“One thing we saw in many cases we looked at was there was anger towards the partner in relation to separation,” Dr Kirkwood said.
“There was a desire to have revenge against them, an intention to harm them.
“We also saw prior violence towards the mother or a history of controlling behaviour towards her. Not in every case, but enough to take notice.