Brett Cowan found guilty of murder of Daniel Morcombe

The sentencing of Brett Peter Cowan for the murder of Sunshine Coast teenager Daniel Morcombe, brought an end to one of Australia’s greatest murder mysteries.

Cowan, 44, who was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years, remained motionless in the prisoner’s dock in the Brisbane Supreme Court when the verdict was announced in March 2014.

“On behalf of our entire family, we would like to thank everybody for assisting us in the search for Daniel and for never forgetting Daniel, all the media, all the SES, all the police, all the public, the whole community,’’ Daniel’s mother, Denise Morcombe said.

Crown Prosecutor Michael Byrne QC said it took years of perseverance by Queensland police who engaged in a sophisticated and detailed undercover operation. “It is doubtful he would have ever been caught had they not done so,’’ he said.

Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon said he was “very happy” with the verdict following what had been a “lengthy, complex and very protracted” investigation. He praised the “many, many people” who phoned in pieces of information that eventually formed the “jigsaw”. He said police who worked on the case were a credit to the community.

He also thanked the community and some 15,000 people who contacted Crime Stoppers.

“I’d also like to acknowledge all law enforcement agencies across Australia and also international agencies that have assisted during the course of the investigation,” he said.

“I’d also like to thank the brave and courageous people of the SES. They did a fantastic job in assisting us right from day one and most recently in the examination of what was a very difficult crime scene that was infested with snakes, rats and rodent animals.”

Cowan was arrested by Queensland detectives after being sprung at a bush site along with undercover officers on August 13, 2011. Queensland police and SES volunteers began searching bushland for Daniel’s remains in the area where Cowan told undercover officers he left the body – an isolated macadamia farm and a sandmining site off Kings Rd at the Glass House Mountains.

On the fourth day, August 17, 2011, a right Globe-brand shoe was found.

It was followed by the discovery of a second shoe on August 20. Then slowly, over the next few weeks, some 17 bone fragments and clothing identified as belonging to Daniel was unearthed from the mud of the sandmining site and the waters of Coochin Creek.