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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Keli Lane, who is serving a lengthy jail sentence for the murder of her newborn daughter, is seeking to use her prison diaries as part of her lawsuit against the state over alleged abuse in custody.<\/p>\n Lane was convicted in 2010 of murdering her two-day-old daughter, Tegan, in Sydney in 1996 after giving birth at Auburn Hospital. She was sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison.<\/p>\n Lane filed proceedings against the state in 2024, but an updated statement of claim was filed in November last year.<\/p>\n Her solicitor, Michael Deegan from Carroll & O\u2019Dea Lawyers, told the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney on Thursday that the case was \u201ca claim against the state for misfeasance in public office, not a personal injury matter\u201d.<\/p>\n He said there would be \u201cclaims against a number of prison officers as part of the action\u201d.<\/p>\n Related Article Deegan said that \u201csome of [Lane\u2019s] diaries were retained by the DPP\u201d after a previous criminal proceeding, and he was seeking access to them to assist in drafting an evidentiary statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still trying to get those,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Asked why it would take until the end of August to prepare the evidentiary statement, Deegan said: \u201cOur client is incarcerated. This is a very complex matter.\u201d<\/p>\n In the first case to test NSW\u2019s \u201cno body, no parole<\/a>\u201d laws, which took effect in 2022, Lane was denied parole in 2024<\/a> after serving her minimum sentence of 13 years and 5 months.<\/p>\n Tegan\u2019s body has never been found. Lane maintains she gave the newborn to her daughter\u2019s father, who has never come forward. She is set to remain behind bars until her 18-year sentence expires in December 2028.<\/p>\n The then Supreme Court justice Anthony Whealy said in his 2011 sentencing decision<\/a>: \u201cThe Crown case was that, between the time that Tegan was examined at Auburn Hospital by the discharging doctor on 14th September 1996, and at the time of the offender\u2019s arrival at her parents\u2019 home at Fairlight at about 3 o\u2019clock during the afternoon, the child was murdered by her mother, who also disposed of her body.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defence case was that, by arrangement, Keli gave the child to its natural father. Consistently with the jury\u2019s verdict, I must reject this explanation.\u201d<\/p>\n Whealy signed an open letter in 2024 calling for the \u201cno body, no parole\u201d laws to be scrapped due to their consequences for wrongfully convicted prisoners.<\/p>\n He noted that \u201cit was always possible under the existing law for the parole body to take into account the fact that somebody was refusing to cooperate indicating where a victim\u2019s body might be found\u201d.<\/p>\n Upper house Greens MP Sue Higginson said in State Parliament in March last year that Lane \u201cis not in prison; she is in hell\u201d. She said Lane had been subjected to \u201cinhumane and degrading treatment\u201d and abuse.<\/p>\n The parties to Lane\u2019s civil suit will attend mediation later this year. If the matter does not settle, they will return to court for a status review on November 20.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>. <\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Keli](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0f3d3287016ff6d61a86be6ed6be9ed270db5b63.jpeg\")
Keli Lane leaves court during her trial in 2010.Nick Moir<\/p>\n![\"Keli](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4d39fef04b6562ad7c294a316178c3c6daa48a74.jpeg\")
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Keli Lane pictured in March 2026 during day release from prison.Nine News<\/p>\n