Julie Feeney

Francis Michael Fahey : Serial Killer Documentary

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• published: 29 Jan 2016
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OFFICIALLY no one will ever know why Francis Michael Fahey butchered two Brisbane prostitutes, but his wife has no doubts it is linked to Fahey's work as an ambulance officer. In the Supreme Court in Brisbane yesterday, Fahey was sentenced to two life sentences for the murders of Jasmin Crathern and Julie Louise McColl. He will have to serve 25 years in jail before he can apply for parole, but the court was told that because of Fahey's health, he was likely to die in jail. Fahey picked up the women in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley area and then drove them to secluded places where he killed them. Outside court Fahey's wife Beth said she hoped for the victims' families' sake the sentence would give them some closure. She said she believed anti-depressant medication Fahey was taking at the time, because of stress from work as an ambulance officer, could have caused his behaviour. She said her husband's character changed and his efforts to get help were ignored by officials. "He was singing out for help and wasn't getting it. I saw him go from a vibrant man who loved his work to a cowering and crying person," she said. The resumed sentence hearing yesterday was delayed after the government medical officer was called to examine Fahey and his ability to comprehend the hearing. After Fahey was cleared to continue, Crown prosecutor Peter Feeney withdrew an application to have Fahey sentenced to an indefinite term. The decision came after medical advice on Fahey's health and observations made on indefinite sentencing by the High Court in a recent case involving Darling Downs rapist Jason Buckley. Mr Feeney said the murders were brutal and must have been terrifying for the victims. "Fahey must have derived so much pleasure from the first killing that it overwhelmed any qualms about the second," he said. Barrister Rick Taylor, for Fahey, said His client was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, had a heart attack in 1999 and also had problems with his hearing in one ear. He said Fahey had no previous criminal convictions, a good work history and there was no explanation for the offences. Justice White said it was not possible for the court to speculate whether Fahey's actions were a result of the "horrors" he had witnessed as an ambulance officer. Justice White sentenced Fahey to two life sentences, with a minimum 25 years to be served before he would be eligible to apply for parole. Outside court, McColl's father Tom Annas had nothing to say about the sentence. However, investigating lead officer Superintendent Mike Condon said the family was satisfied with the result. Last September, Fahey, of Narangba north of Brisbane, was convicted of the killings by a jury which deliberated for four hours. The two-week trial was told Fahey had murdered Crathern at Hendra on August 8, 2002, and McColl at Bald Hills on February 26, 2003. Fahey was linked to the murders by unique tyre and boot prints, DNA from shoes, his car and on a military bayonet found at his house, as well as semen on Crathern's shirt.