Overview
- Julie Szabo’s statement described enduring grief since the 1998 blaze and said “on paper, justice has been served” but “there will never be justice.”
- Walker pleaded guilty to manslaughter in late October after a 2022 arrest that followed a cold-case review and a $1 million reward for information.
- Defence material asserted he did not think anyone was inside or that the Molotov cocktail would reach the house, and claimed he has changed since moving to Queensland.
- Agreed facts state Walker threw the device during a neighbourhood dispute, and that 13-year-old Arthur Haines, an innocent bystander, died 11 weeks later from severe burns.
- Prosecutors and defence disputed the sentence discount from his plea, and reporting notes a maximum penalty of up to 25 years; Walker also faces a separate historical grievous bodily harm charge.