Keli Lane has been jailed for at least 13 years and five months for murdering her newborn baby Tegan.
The former water polo champion was sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court today. Justice Anthony Whealy set a maximum term of 18 years, with no possibility of parole until 2023.
Lane, 35, was found guilty last December of murdering her second baby Tegan on September 14, 1996. Tegan’s body has never been found.
Lane reportedly had two abortions as a teenager and subsequently kept three pregnancies and births secret. She put her first and third children up for adoption, but was convicted of murdering Tegan.
The baby went missing between Lane leaving a Sydney hospital and her attending a wedding later the same day. Lane claimed she had given Tegan to the baby’s father but the court found she had murdered the infant because she thought the child would interfere with her social life and sporting ambitions.
Justice Whealy said Lane had murdered Tegan “in a situation of desperation”.
“From her perception, there was simply no way out,” he said.