Garry Dubois, pictured in 1974, and Vincent O'Dempsey were sentenced to life in prison. Photo / Supplied
Garry Dubois, pictured in 1974, and Vincent O'Dempsey were sentenced to life in prison. Photo / Supplied
Convicted child rapist Garry Dubois had 43 years to break his silence about the murders of Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters, but when he finally decided to speak, a judge told him to "shut up".
The 70-year-old had to be removed from the dock after he continued to protest his innocence during his sentencing in the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday.
"I've never spoken to police, that's the truth," Dubois said.
Justice Peter Applegarth was in no mood to listen.
"You had your chance at trial, now shut up," the judge said.
Barbara McCulkin and sisters Vicki, 13, and Leanne, 11, were murdered on the night of January 16, 1974. Photo / Supplied
Dubois' outburst came as he and Vincent O'Dempsey were sentenced to life in prison for killing Mrs McCulkin and sisters Vicki, 13, and Leanne, 11, on the night of January 16, 1974.
Before his sentence was handed down, O'Dempsey told the court he was "completely innocent".
"I have never had the slightest reason to harm the three McCulkins in any way, nor did my co-accused," O'Dempsey said.
The 78-year-old claimed he was convicted by a jury last month on the "false testimony" of three people who he confessed to about the murders - former friend Warren McDonald, ex-fiancee Kerri Scully and a prison informant, who cannot be named.
"These so-called confessions were only forthcoming from them when they each stood to benefit greatly by doing so," O'Dempsey said.
Justice Applegarth said O'Dempsey's statement was "completely unconvincing" and that Mr McDonald and Ms Scully actually had much to lose by testifying.
The court heard while Mr McDonald received a reduced sentence on a drug conviction in exchange for his evidence, O'Dempsey hatched plans from within jail to harm him and Ms Scully.
"Even today you threaten to silence witnesses," Justice Applegarth said.
Justice Applegarth also rejected O'Dempsey's claim he had nothing to do with the 1973 Torino and Whiskey Au Go Go nightclub firebombings, the latter of which killed 15 people.
The men's separate trials had heard O'Dempsey paid Dubois to burn down the Torino, the month before the Whiskey blaze.
Prosecutor David Meredith argued the pair killed Mrs McCulkin because they feared she would implicate them in the Whiskey inferno, even though there was no evidence at trial that either were involved in it.
But Justice Applegarth stated on Thursday he had chosen to exclude highly prejudicial evidence from O'Dempsey's trial that he had admitted being involved in the Whiskey fire.
The court heard in an alleged conversation in the late 1990s, O'Dempsey was told convicted Whiskey arsonist James Richard Finch, who was deported to England in 1988, was planning to return to Australia.
