Ivan Milat’s daughter has revealed she still loves her serial killer father and insisted he “doesn’t deserve to be dying in pain” in an extraordinary interview with The Daily Telegraph.
Milat, 74, was handed seven life sentences after he was found guilty more than 20 years ago of murdering seven backpackers in New South Wales, making him one of Australia’s most notorious serial killers.
He was recently taken to hospital amid claims he’s battling advanced stages of cancer, with 7 News reporting he will most likely spend his remaining time at Long Bay jail in Sydney instead of Goulburn Supermax prison, where he was kept in solitary confinement.
Now his daughter Lynise Milat, 54, has broken her silence in a chat with The Daily Telegraph, revealing that her determination to keep in touch with her father has caused issues with her other family members.
“I suppose I do have love for him, he’s my father, there are issues in the family with that, some don’t speak to us and I’ve had counselling for it,” she told the news outlet.
“I don’t think when I look at him, ‘did he, didn’t he?’. I think he’s an arse and a character but he’s brutally honest, that’s not to say I always like him. But I will always love him. I don’t want him to die, he doesn’t deserve to be dying in pain in hospital, I’d rather not… see him.”
Despite reports that Milat may also have dementia, Lynise insisted he’s still as “sharp as a button” and added that he’s become worn down by years of trying to prove his innocence, as well as decades behind bars.
A jury found Milat guilty on July 27, 1996, for the murders of Caroline Clarke, Joanne Walters, Simone Schmidl, Anja Habschied, Gabor Neugebauer, James Gibson and Deborah Everist, without the possibility of parole. He was also convicted of the attempted murder, false imprisonment and robbery of Paul Onions.
Onions, from the UK, had been backpacking in NSW in 1990 when the driver of a hitched ride, later identified as Milat, attempted to kidnap him at gunpoint. He managed to escape, before flagging down a passing car and reporting the incident to police.
Later, in 1993, Onions made a call to Task Force Air officers after seeing an international news report about the discovery of the bodies at Belanglo State Forest, setting the case in motion.
Milat maintained his innocence throughout and his daughter has now slammed the original police investigation, questioning why her father wasn’t arrested earlier if police believed he was guilty.
She reportedly also explained to the news outlet that Milat fathered her during an affair with his brother’s wife – something which has become an open family secret.
Milat made his latest bid for a case review in October 2017, however this was dismissed by NSW Supreme Court justice Megan Latham.