Keli Lane’s Daughter Breaks Silence After 16 Years; Partner Urges Parole

Keli Lane’s adult daughter has broken her silence after 16 years, publicly urging authorities to release her mother on parole. The now 25-year-old, who was nine when Lane was jailed in 2010 for the 1996 murder of her baby sister Tegan, wrote to authorities calling herself a ‘forgotten victim’. Lane’s long-term partner Patrick Cogan told A Current Affair he believes she is innocent. Lane maintains she gave the newborn to the baby’s father and has always denied killing her daughter.

The case that divided Australia

In December 2010, a jury found Keli Lane guilty of murdering her two-day-old daughter Tegan in September 1996. Lane was sentenced to 18 years in prison with a non-parole period of 13 years and five months. The conviction came despite no body, no physical evidence, and no witnesses. Jurors rejected both an insanity defence and a partial defence of infanticide, returning an 11-to-1 majority verdict.

Lane’s account and the missing father

Lane has consistently maintained her innocence. She claims she gave Tegan to the baby’s biological father, identified as Andrew Norris or Morris, two days after birth on 12 September 1996. Neither the alleged father nor Tegan have ever been found. Lane was a star water polo player in the 1990s who had three secret pregnancies: two she gave up for adoption and Tegan, who vanished.

Why parole remains blocked

Lane remains in custody serving her 18-year sentence, which expires in December 2028. She has been denied parole multiple times due to NSW’s ‘no body, no parole’ laws, which prohibit release for convicted killers unless they provide satisfactory cooperation with police to locate victim remains. Lane maintains she gave the daughter to the baby’s father, making the law impossible to satisfy in her case.

Her daughter’s plea and partner’s support

Lane’s adult daughter, now 25, recalled being dropped at school by her mother when she was nine, the last time she saw her before Lane was taken into custody. In a letter to authorities, the daughter wrote: ‘My hope is simple: that my mum can come home and that I can spend meaningful time with her.’ Patrick Cogan, Lane’s partner of 17 years, told A Current Affair he believed Lane was innocent and ‘wouldn’t hurt a flea’. Cogan and Lane dated as teenagers and reunited about 18 months before her conviction. He said their relationship has grown stronger over her nearly 16 years in prison.

Final Thoughts

Lane has served nearly 16 of her 18-year sentence with no body ever found to support the murder conviction. Her daughter’s public plea and her partner’s steadfast support signal a renewed push for parole consideration, though NSW’s ‘no body, no parole’ law remains a legal barrier.

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