An 82-year-old farmer who was convicted of murdering a NSW environment officer during a dispute over illegal land clearing has died in custody in Sydney.
Ian Turnbull, who had been serving a maximum 35-year jail term at Long Bay Correctional Complex for the shooting murder of 51-year-old Glen Turner, died in Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick on Monday.
More NSW News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:00
Ian Turnbull jailed for 35 years
Ian Turnbull jailed for 35 years
The farmer who was accused of killing environmental officer Glen Turner near Moree is convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years jail. Courtesy ABC News 24.
Up Next
Shark found in Sydney pool
- Video duration
- 00:16
- Video duration
- 00:16
Shark found in Sydney pool
Shark found in Sydney pool
Locals at Palm Beach unwittingly swam with a juvenile dusky whaler shark in the rockpool. Vision: Seven News
Up Next
Hazara artist soars to top gallery
- Video duration
- 01:17
- Video duration
- 01:17
Hazara artist soars to top gallery
Hazara artist soars to top gallery
Khadim Ali has gone from living in exile in Pakistan to exhibiting his mural at one of Australia's top galleries. (Video courtesy: Museum of Contemporary Art)
Up Next
Student infected with tuberculosis after misdiagnosis
- Video duration
- 01:12
- Video duration
- 01:12
Student infected with tuberculosis after ...
Student infected with tuberculosis after misdiagnosis
At least 10 people are been monitored after possible exposure to tuberculosis, after a 23-year old student was diagnosed with the disease.
Up Next
Horror weekend on NSW roads
- Video duration
- 00:58
- Video duration
- 00:58
Horror weekend on NSW roads
Horror weekend on NSW roads
Six people died on NSW roads over the weekend, including a teenage couple and a three-year-old girl.
Up Next
Two killed in fiery Botany crash
- Video duration
- 00:22
- Video duration
- 00:22
Two killed in fiery Botany crash
Two killed in fiery Botany crash
A vehicle burst into flames killing two after the driver lost control at Port Botany in Sydney's south east on Saturday night. Vision: Channel Seven.
Up Next
A more efficient air conditioner
- Video duration
- 01:32
- Video duration
- 01:32
A more efficient air conditioner
A more efficient air conditioner
Australian invention IP Kinetik promises to cut air conditioning costs and reduce its environmental toll.
Up Next
Are Sydney parking fines the heaviest?
- Video duration
- 00:53
- Video duration
- 00:53
Are Sydney parking fines the heaviest?
Are Sydney parking fines the heaviest?
From Australia to the Big Apple, leaving your car parked too long can be a costly mistake.
Ian Turnbull jailed for 35 years
The farmer who was accused of killing environmental officer Glen Turner near Moree is convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years jail. Courtesy ABC News 24.
A Corrective Services spokeswoman confirmed the inmate died after being taken to hospital by ambulance on March 20. He was suffering a terminal illness, the spokeswoman said.
He is also understood to have suffered a heart attack while in custody.
Related Content
Last year, Turnbull was sentenced to a maximum of 35 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 24 years, for the "terrifying and shattering" murder of Glen Turner at Croppa Creek, near Moree in north-western NSW, in July, 2014.
Mr Turner's widow, Alison McKenzie, said Turnbull's death meant her family would not have to endure the torment of an appeal. Last month, Turnbull had lodged an appeal of his sentence that was due to be heard on May 31.
"He died a convicted murderer and spared us from the heartache of an appeal in court," Ms McKenzie said in a statement.
"He was able to receive medical attention at his time of need, something he denied his victim, my husband Glen."
Mr Turner, an officer for the Office of Environment and Heritage, had been investigating Turnbull for illegal clearing of native vegetation, and was carrying out what should have been a routine departmental visit with a colleague, Robert Strange, when he was murdered.
Mr Turner and Mr Strange were standing on public land near Turnbull's property at Croppa Creek when Turnbull used a hunting rifle that he kept in his ute for shooting wild pigs and kangaroos to kill Mr Turner.
His trial heard that, on the day of the shooting, Turnbull walked towards Mr Turner and Mr Strange, raised his weapon and wordlessly shot Mr Turner in the neck.
Turnbull then chased him around a car for at least 22 minutes and fired a number of shots before shooting Mr Turner in the back - the shot which proved fatal. Turnbull also detained Mr Strange at gunpoint.Â
The shooting followed years of tension and court battles over illegal clearing. Turnbull was facing prosecutions by the Office of Environment and Heritage in the Land and Environment Court over illegal land clearing, which he continued to do after officially being told to stop.
When sentencing Turnbull last year, Justice Peter Johnson told the court that the 35-year maximum sentence was a de facto life sentence for the farmer.
"I have taken into account that this sentence will almost certainly constitute a de facto life sentence with the offender dying in custody before the expiration of the non-parole period," the judge said.
"I am satisfied that no lesser sentence is appropriate in all the circumstances of the case."
He also said he did not accept that Turnbull had shown genuine remorse for the murder.
"The events ... involved the offender prolonging the process of murdering Mr Turner, thereby heightening the terror to which Mr Turner was subjected, before the final and fatal show was fired," he said.
During a sentencing hearing in Sydney last year, Ms McKenzie said she could not comprehend how someone could hurt another person in that manner.
"He [her husband]Â was treated like a feral pig," she said in a statement read to the court by a family member.
She said her family was "broken" by her husband's death.
"The world had swallowed me up," she said of the moment when she found out he had died.
With AAP