Daniel Morcombe's 10-Year Struggle for Justice: A Compelling Legal Battle
Daniel Morcombe's 10-Year Struggle for Justice: A Compelling Legal Battle
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00:00 Sunday, December 7th, 2003. 13-year-old Daniel Morecambe was waiting for a bus just half
00:17 a kilometre away from his house. He had planned on getting the 1.35pm bus and was heading
00:23 to the Sunshine Plaza shopping centre to buy Christmas presents for his family and get
00:27 a haircut. A bus he had caught many times before, in an area he knew, like the back
00:33 of his hand. The bus he intended to catch had broken down, and at ten past two Daniel
00:39 was spotted, still waiting, under the overpass. A replacement bus eventually drove past Daniel,
00:45 but it did not stop, as it was already behind schedule. The bus driver radioed the depot
00:51 to arrange for another driver to go and pick Daniel up. By the time a second bus arrived
00:56 a few minutes later, Daniel was long gone, and the bus stop was totally deserted.
01:23 Daniel James Morecambe, his twin brother Bradley, and his older brother Dean, were born to parents
01:29 Bruce and Denise, and the family lived in the small town of Palm Woods, on the Sunshine
01:34 Coast in Queensland. His father Bruce said one trait he always admired in his son was
01:41 his generosity, and his genuine care for other people. The family were very close, and his
01:48 father said that Daniel was definitely shy around most people, but was enthusiastic with
01:54 boundless amounts of energy around his family. He was well mannered, a good timekeeper, and
01:59 well behaved. He loved the outdoors, animals, and playing with his two brothers, and he
02:05 had dreams of being a vet when he was older. His family said they just lived a very simple
02:11 and easygoing life.
02:18 As Sunday December 7th got later and darker, at around 4.15pm, Daniel's family, who were
02:24 expecting him home hours ago, started to grow concerned. They asked his brothers, but they
02:31 had been out with friends, and no one had seen Daniel that afternoon.
02:36 Denise set off on a walk to the bus stop. On her way, she saw the broken down bus being
02:42 loaded onto a tow truck, but Daniel was nowhere to be seen. She called the bus company, and
02:48 they confirmed that no one of Daniel's description was picked up that day. Just after 7.30am,
02:55 the police were notified.
02:57 A day later, the first pictures of the young teen began appearing in the media. As well
03:02 as the police, up to 50 state emergency service volunteers and rescue helicopters were scouting
03:08 the area, but nothing turned up.
03:13 His brothers spoke of how upset they felt that Daniel had asked them both to go shopping
03:17 with him that day, but both having plans, they said no.
03:24 The search quickly began to widen, with waterways and dams being explored too. Police divers
03:30 were combing through the waters, and volunteers were searching the grassland. It really was
03:35 all hands on deck to try and find Daniel Morecambe.
03:40 The outpouring of help and support from the community was huge. Daniel's parents and
03:44 brothers soon joined about 400 people to attend a vigil. Denise and Bruce quickly became regular
03:50 faces in the media. Over the coming days, they were constantly appealing for help, and
03:56 making sure Daniel's face and details were being widely circulated.
04:01 Two weeks later was a particularly painful day for the family. December 19th would mark
04:06 Daniel's 14th birthday. Authorities decided to create a re-enactment, hoping to jog any
04:13 memories from any motorists on the road that day.
04:17 Daniel Morecambe was last seen waiting for a bus under this busy Sunshine Coast overpass
04:22 on the 7th of December 2003. As the days passed, his parents' desperation grew.
04:28 We both want Daniel home. It's been seven days since he was last seen. It's a matter
04:35 of urgency, somebody must have seen him somewhere. It's getting desperate, we need him back.
04:40 We want Daniel back.
04:43 Several witnesses came forward. Some said they had seen Daniel that day, waiting near
04:48 the bus stop, bored, and drawing pictures in the mud with a stick to keep himself occupied.
04:54 Others reported seeing him stood near a man who was leaning against the wall behind him.
04:59 He was described as gaunt, with a tattoo and a goatee. And this was corroborated several
05:05 times. Just after ten past two, Daniel was no longer stood in the bus stop. Using the
05:11 timeframes they all provided, it was concluded that Daniel disappeared in an incredibly small
05:17 90-second window.
05:22 A life-size clay model of the man seen near Daniel that day was placed in the same spot
05:27 where he had disappeared, as well as a model of Daniel. And, within just a few days, over
05:34 300 tips came in. Tips that included reports of a suspicious white car circling the area
05:41 that afternoon.
05:44 As March 2004 came around, over 3,000 calls had been logged by Crimestoppers, more than
05:51 any other case in its history. Over the next few months, more and more events were held
05:57 to try and raise awareness. Over 50 printing companies rallied together to produce almost
06:02 two million leaflets about Daniel. Milk bottles with his face on it were also dispensed, and
06:08 by October that year, more than 8,000 calls providing tips had been made. A $250,000 reward
06:16 was announced, the biggest in Queensland's history.
06:21 2005 was soon here. As this year was a big one for Bruce and Denise, with their son still
06:27 missing, they founded the Daniel Morecambe Foundation. It was initially started as a
06:33 way to draw more attention to their missing son's case, but it soon became so much more.
06:39 They started offering support to educators, parents and carers, and providing resources
06:45 and education packs to help raise awareness about child safety.
06:52 Months would soon turn into years, and despite the almost 10,000 tips that had been lodged,
06:58 Daniel was still gone. Each year, his pictures would circulate the media, and the foundation
07:05 would continue to keep his name alive. But despite the leads, police were still lacking
07:11 in a lot of evidence.
07:13 At one point, they had more than 500 persons of interest on their radar, but again, not
07:19 enough to pull anyone in.
07:23 Four years would soon have passed. The Morecambe family, who had been in the same house since
07:28 Daniel's disappearance, obviously still hoping one day he might come home, made the tough
07:34 choice to move. All of his belongings were just as he had left them that day, completely
07:40 untouched. His parents made the difficult decision to pack up their family home and
07:45 relocate elsewhere. Bruce and Denise had been following up on every tip that came their
07:51 way, no matter how far it led them.
07:54 Bruce even started his own covert operation, interviewing sex offenders in the area that
08:00 claimed they had information. Nothing came of any of it, and a lot was nothing more than
08:06 a hoax. The more time that passed, the more everyone feared that Daniel would never be
08:12 found and the case would never reach a conclusion.
08:15 But Bruce and Denise weren't giving up. They soon called for an inquest into his disappearance,
08:21 hoping that the lengthy list of persons of interest would be looked into once more. The
08:26 inquest was granted, and called the bus driver who didn't initially stop, and the people
08:31 who had seen the man in question hanging around near Daniel, as well as a number of persons
08:36 of interest. Thousands of pages of investigation were delivered to the state coroner. It was
08:42 now sadly believed that Daniel had been killed shortly after being abducted, and authorities
08:47 confirmed that they were now likely looking for his remains.
08:53 One person that was asked to come and answer questions under oath was a father of three,
08:58 41-year-old Brett Peter Cowan. Brett was known to police, and had actually been on their
09:05 radar since the start. He was even interviewed just two weeks after Daniel went missing,
09:11 and police admitted there were holes in his alibi from the beginning.
09:14 As I explained to you, we're currently investigating the disappearance of a young boy called Daniel
09:19 Morecambe. He was abducted from the side of the Nambour Connection Road on the 7th of
09:23 the 12th 2003. You're clear on what I want to talk to you about? You've previously been
09:29 interviewed by detectives involved in that investigation, is that correct?
09:33 Yes, ma'am.
09:34 Can you just cast your mind back to the 7th of the 12th, and just tell me what you were
09:43 doing on the 7th of the 12th, which is a Sunday?
09:46 Working in the garden in the afternoons, in the morning and the afternoons, cutting down
09:50 some trees, tidying up the gardens. I rang my boss's father up around lunchtime, asking
09:57 if I could borrow his mulcher, the type that mulches what I've cut off the trees and everything.
10:04 Not 100% sure on the time that I left home to go up there and pick it up. One, I think.
10:12 And went up there, picked it up, more or less went straight in, half an hour to 45 minutes.
10:20 Half an hour to 45 minutes?
10:22 Yeah, anything.
10:23 So, say you left at 1.30, you hung about 3.00. You left at 1.00, you hung about 2.30.
10:28 2.30, yeah.
10:29 Alright.
10:30 Did you see a young boy standing under the kiln mat and right over the pass?
10:34 I didn't see anybody standing there.
10:35 Alright. Did you see any cars, or did you notice anything unusual?
10:38 No.
10:39 And you didn't see anything?
10:40 No.
10:41 If the suggestion was that you weren't home until 3.00, and let's face it, there's been
10:47 a couple of, I think Tracy says it was 3.00, but she wasn't real sure, etc, etc. There's
10:52 a bit of a gap in time that we're a little bit concerned, not concerned about, but a
10:58 little bit interested to try and work out if we can narrow that time down a little bit.
11:03 Brett was not only close to the area at the time, but he had a string of shocking convictions,
11:10 including several counts of sexual abuse against young boys. But after this, their attention
11:16 had turned to another convicted sex offender named Douglas Jackway. As Brett entered the
11:23 courtroom, however, Bruce and Denise recalled they took a sharp intake of breath. Denise
11:28 said she turned to Bruce and said, "That's him. I know that's him."
11:33 Brett was asked a series of questions, and the answers became more and more shocking.
11:40 Denise said that one of the most shocking of all was Brett stating there was no way
11:44 he could have abducted Daniel, as he liked six to eight-year-old boys, and Daniel was
11:50 far too old for him. Brett's list of offences soon came to light in the courtroom.
11:56 In 1987, a seven-year-old boy called Tim in Brisbane became Brett Peter Cowan's first
12:02 known victim. Tim was at his usual daycare centre, which happened to be where 18-year-old
12:08 Brett would work and help out. One day, Brett tried to lure him into the bathroom, but Tim
12:15 refused to go. Brett then brazenly grabbed Tim and forced him into one of the cubicles.
12:23 Tim was subjected to a brutal and sustained sexual assault, before Brett started strangling
12:29 him, telling him he would kill him if he ever told anyone.
12:34 It only stopped when one of the daycare workers called Tim's name out. Tim believes that
12:39 if she hadn't come looking for him at that moment, he probably would have died.
12:45 He said that although he survived the horrific ordeal, he still feels like Brett took his
12:49 life that day.
12:51 Brett was placed under arrest for the attack on Tim, but was given bail, and went on the
12:57 run for two years, eventually being found in New South Wales.
13:02 Young Tim found the courage to testify against him in court, and recalled that Brett was
13:07 just sat smiling at him, as if the whole thing was a game.
13:12 Brett was sentenced to two years for the crime, but served less than one year before being
13:17 let out. He moved to Darwin, and told people he was a reformed Christian and had found
13:24 God. Just a short while later, however, he viciously attacked another child.
13:32 He snatched a six-year-old from a trailer park, raped him, then left him for dead in
13:37 the boot of a burnt-out car. Incredibly, the child managed to get out and stumbled to a
13:43 petrol station for help. His collarbone was broken, one of his lungs was punctured, and
13:49 his eyes were hemorrhaging from the suffocation he had been subjected to.
13:54 Brett was eventually caught and sentenced to seven years. He served four.
14:01 Brett's Peter Cowan underwent multiple psychiatric examinations, and one of the psychologists
14:06 who had assessed him said he was a pathological liar, with mild psychopathy and a severe lack
14:13 of empathy. His crimes against young children were so depraved and caused such unimaginable
14:18 trauma to them, it would only be a matter of time until he struck again.
14:25 As his day in court, answering questions in regards to Daniel's case drew to a close,
14:30 Brett looked at Bruce and Denise in the eyes and said, "I had nothing to do with Daniel's
14:35 disappearance. Nothing at all."
14:41 After witnessing Brett's answers, and armed with a new task force, the investigation into
14:47 Daniel's case took a swift turn. An extensive and complex undercover investigation got underway,
14:55 one that would last four months, with the hope of being able to prove that Brett was
15:00 Daniel's abductor and likely killer. Brett's code name was P7.
15:07 Authorities were using something called the "Mr. Big" technique. This technique involves
15:12 creating a fictitious crime group, and using undercover officers. The aim is to lure the
15:18 suspect into the confidence of the fake criminal group. As the suspect in their mind moves
15:24 further up the ranks, they eventually meet Mr. Big, the fake kingpin of the group.
15:30 But this person is actually a police interrogator, who will often offer them some sort of higher
15:36 position in the group if they pass an interview. The hope is that during the interview, the
15:42 suspect will bear all, and confess to everything they've done.
15:47 An undercover police officer claiming to be part of the fake gang befriended Brett as
15:52 he was on a plane to Perth, and the operation was now in full swing. The officer said he
15:59 wanted to introduce Brett to a powerful criminal gang, with the promise of big money.
16:05 Brett was hooked on the idea straight away.
16:08 Over the next few months, Brett was gradually allowed to feel more and more involved in
16:13 the group. He was dealing drugs for them, collecting fake debts, and buying and selling
16:19 weapons. Finally, Brett was told, the gang thought he was ready to meet the man at the
16:25 top. This man was of course, a highly skilled interrogator, and likely had one shot at getting
16:32 the answers everyone was searching for.
16:36 The hotel room was rigged with cameras, and a long interview got underway.
16:41 To everyone's surprise, it didn't take long for Brett to start talking.
16:47 What's been happening?
16:50 Listen, I'm hearing through Jeff, through Paul, that you're doing some good stuff.
16:56 I suppose I just have to make sure you're happy doing what you're doing, that there's
17:00 no issues there, because as you know, things are moving.
17:04 One of the reasons I brought you here was, as you know, I said to you before, we've
17:08 got to walk before we run, we've got to crawl before we walk. And as this thing's
17:14 progressing, this big job that we're looking at, I've been checking out, which is only
17:19 expected of me. And there's a couple of things that have come up, that we need to
17:25 talk about.
17:27 If I'd known, I thought it was all dealt with.
17:30 Look, I've been here on, I'm here on other business. I'll be straight with you, I'm
17:34 here on other business. But I got some information through early this morning, which has kind
17:38 of made me postpone all that stuff, so that we can sort this out.
17:42 From the information I've got, I'm told you've done the Daniel Morcom murder.
17:49 I'm told that it's dead set, that you're the one who's done it. And like I said,
17:54 this doesn't bother me at all. But what concerns me is that I need to, I can sort
18:02 this for you. I can sort things out, I can buy you alibis, I can get rid of stuff, all
18:07 that kind of thing that needs to be done, I can do. But I need to know what I need to
18:12 do. You know what I mean?
18:14 So look, what happened? And how can I sort it out?
18:19 Yeah, OK. No, OK, I did it.
18:25 Alright, so OK, so you did it, but what I'm saying is, you know, I need to kind of go,
18:31 I need to stick you right back to the whole thing, so that if there's anything like,
18:36 I don't know if they've got any DNA or that kind of shit.
18:39 No DNA.
18:40 You know, obviously they haven't found the fucking body.
18:42 I don't know how, I seen him standing there, I did a loop around and...
18:50 OK, hang on, what time was this?
18:52 I don't know.
18:53 OK.
18:54 I was on my way home, there was a broken down bus, my dad's Sambus, broken down, and then
18:59 I seen Daniel.
19:01 Knowing that Daniel wouldn't be getting on a bus any time soon, he parked his vehicle
19:05 in a car park nearby. Brett then went and stood behind Daniel, pretending to wait for
19:10 the bus as well, watching everyone around him and making sure it was relatively clear
19:15 the whole time.
19:17 As the second bus went past, Brett saw his chance.
19:24 Daniel was then driven 30 minutes away to a secluded and desolate farm.
19:29 His dad said he must have known he was in serious trouble, and couldn't imagine the
19:34 fear his son must have felt as he saw the roads get narrower, and the area became less
19:40 and less like the one he knew.
19:42 Denise reiterated this and said, "When he was a little boy, he used to get scared at
19:47 night and come and sleep on the floor next to our bed."
19:51 Brett then parked up, and Daniel was taken into a house.
19:55 Then went to an abandoned house thingy I knew where.
20:00 I went back because I'd just put it under bushes and I went back to bury it.
20:06 So you take him into the house?
20:10 Yeah.
20:11 What happened in the house?
20:14 Never got to molest him or anything like that.
20:16 He panicked and I panicked and grabbed him around the throat and just thought, "I knew
20:21 he was dead."
20:22 Alright.
20:23 How long did it take for you to strangle him out?
20:25 Do you know?
20:26 Don't.
20:27 Probably don't think about it at the time.
20:30 You were looking at him?
20:31 Didn't see him.
20:32 Alright.
20:33 Daniel was killed within an hour of being abducted, according to Brett's submission
20:39 and the opinion of experts and police.
20:42 After this, Brett dragged his body down an embankment and threw his clothes into a creek.
20:48 Following this startling and blunt confession, the undercover officers convinced Brett to
20:54 take them to where he had dumped Daniel's body, under the pretense of helping him remove
20:59 anything incriminating.
21:02 They headed to a location 70km north of Brisbane.
21:06 With police hiding in the bushes, they waited for Brett to walk further and further into
21:11 the woods.
21:13 This was the moment the team had been waiting for.
21:23 Police!
21:24 Stay there, Brett.
21:26 Stay there, mate.
21:27 Stay where you are.
21:28 Stay where you are.
21:29 Stay where you are.
21:30 Police.
21:31 Stay where you are.
21:33 Brett Cowan.
21:34 Steve Blanchell, Detective Senior Sergeant from the Homicide Unit in Brisbane.
21:37 And you know Ross Hutton, is that correct?
21:39 Sunshine Coast CLB.
21:40 No, I don't know him.
21:41 You don't know him?
21:42 No.
21:43 Okay.
21:44 Brett, we're here to, we're investigating the abduction and murder of Daniel Morecambe.
21:47 Yep.
21:48 Okay.
21:49 You're aware that you've been spoken to before in relation to that?
21:51 Yep.
21:52 Okay.
21:53 What I have to tell you is that you don't have to speak to us today.
21:55 Okay?
21:56 You have the right to remain silent.
21:57 Yep.
21:58 You don't have to answer any question or make any statement.
22:00 Yep.
22:01 Do you understand that?
22:02 Yep.
22:03 Just to tell them that I'm under arrest, am I?
22:08 Not at this time.
22:09 If you're happy to remain with us and speak with us in relation to this matter.
22:12 No, you're just going to arrest me.
22:13 Alright, you're under arrest for the murder of Daniel Morecambe.
22:15 Yep, cool.
22:16 I'm under arrest for Daniel Morecambe's murder.
22:20 Officers took Brett into custody, where he was charged with murder, abduction, deprivation of liberty,
22:28 indecent treatment of a child under 16 and interfering with a corpse.
22:33 A week later, in the area that Brett led them to, a trainer was found.
22:38 This was followed by some shorts, a belt and some destroyed underwear.
22:43 Then, three human bones were discovered.
22:48 Using DNA from Daniel's toothbrush, it was confirmed that these were the bones of Daniel Morecambe.
22:54 Good evening. After almost eight years of searching, police have confirmed they've found remains of missing teenager Daniel Morecambe.
23:02 Forensic tests on three bones found in bushland near Birwa matched the 13-year-old's DNA.
23:08 Reporter Amanda Abate joins us now live from the search site.
23:11 And Amanda, how is the Morecambe family coping tonight?
23:15 Sharon, they spent the day together with close family only, as they try to come to terms with the shock of hearing those words.
23:23 Scientists at a forensic lab in Adelaide confirmed at about 8 o'clock last night the bones belonged to Daniel.
23:30 The complete search would take three months, and 17 bones in total were found.
23:36 It would take just over a year for Daniel's remains to be released to his parents, so they could finally bury him.
23:43 And this came almost nine years after he had disappeared.
23:46 More than 2,000 people attended his funeral, and the community were out in force to show their love for the family.
23:54 Daniel's disappearance had fast become one of the most extensively investigated crimes in Queensland's history,
24:00 and everyone was saddened it had come to such an awful end.
24:04 Brett Peter Cowan's identity had been hidden by a name suppression,
24:08 but a court order led to this being revoked at the request of Daniel's parents.
24:13 Bruce said the minute Brett was arrested, it all made sense.
24:17 Brett had been standing out since the inquest because of his history.
24:21 Bruce recalled, "I felt he was a remarkably simple person to identify, and this was a simple puzzle to solve.
24:28 He had a huge hole in his alibi and a disgraceful record.
24:32 The initial officers who interviewed him were aware of the deficiency in his alibi, but it was never run out."
24:39 Brett Peter Cowan pleaded not guilty to the abduction and murder of Daniel Morecambe.
24:44 Over the one-month trial, 116 witnesses and more than 200 exhibits were admitted into evidence.
24:54 Brett himself declined to give any evidence, still denying any wrongdoing.
25:00 Over a decade after Daniel had been abducted and killed, the jury had reached a decision.
25:06 On March 14th, 2014, Brett Peter Cowan was found guilty on all counts.
25:14 He was sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 20 years.
25:20 As most expected, he sat emotionless as the verdict was read out.
25:26 This finally brought an end to the biggest police investigation in Queensland's history,
25:32 and the biggest missing persons case in Australia's history at the time.
25:37 They face a lifetime of grief, but for now, the Morecambe family can take comfort.
25:43 Justice for their son and brother has been won.
25:46 His stunning confession to undercover police posing as criminals was his undoing.
25:50 The elaborate sting lasted more than four months and commenced the moment Cowan set foot on a plane to Perth
25:56 after giving evidence at a coronial inquest in 2011.
26:00 He bragged to his newfound friends that police couldn't pin the crime on him.
26:05 Little did he know his every word was being recorded.
26:09 The jurors rejected Cowan's defence that his confession was false
26:13 and that convicted sex offender Douglas Jackway was the one who did it.
26:17 Instead, they accepted the Crown's case that he spotted Daniel on the side of the road,
26:22 took him to a secluded spot in Biwa, indecently treated and murdered the 13-year-old.
26:28 The guilty verdicts are the culmination of the biggest police operation in Queensland history.
26:33 It involved 10,000 police interviews and, at one stage, more than 500 persons of interest.
26:40 All along, Daniel's family has been the driving force behind the search for the truth.
26:45 They count each day without their son and brother, the boy in a red shirt who never came home.
26:52 Denise said, as the verdict was read out, she remembered the promise she had made to her son
27:00 that she would get justice for him and was so relieved that they had done it.
27:05 She said, as a family, they never broke promises
27:09 and the first thing she wanted to do was pay him a visit and let him know they didn't let him down.
27:15 Brett appealed his sentence, but this was flatly denied.
27:20 Now to some breaking news in the man convicted of murdering Daniel Morecambe
27:24 will not be able to appeal his conviction following a decision by the High Court in Brisbane.
27:29 Brett Peter Cowan will remain behind bars for life for murdering the 13-year-old on the Sunshine Coast in 2003.
27:36 He's already tried and failed to have his conviction overturned in the Queensland Court of Appeal.
27:42 This was his final avenue for appeal.
27:45 Just the same as the public feel, Brett is loathed by his other inmates
27:49 and he has since faced several brutal attacks in prison.
27:53 The man who murdered Daniel Morecambe is in hospital under tight security
27:57 after being badly injured in a prison attack.
28:00 A fellow inmate poured boiling water over Brett Cowan, burning his face, chest and legs.
28:06 Daniel Morecambe's killer, Brett Cowan, has been stabbed during an attack inside a secure jail unit.
28:11 Cowan knew he was a target.
28:13 Other prisoners openly boasted because of the murder of Daniel Morecambe
28:16 and other sex crimes against children, he was to be bashed on sight and at every opportunity.
28:22 The Morecambes didn't comment about the incident, however, the last time Denise talked about Cowan,
28:27 she said, "I hope you have a life of loneliness and are unloved your entire life."
28:33 He remains incarcerated at Wollaston Correctional Centre.
28:37 One source inside said, "He is respectful to officers, but that is more because he knows
28:42 we are the only thing that stands between him and the other prisoners."
28:47 Hello, I'm Bruce Morecambe.
28:53 And I'm Denise Morecambe, and we're the founders of the Daniel Morecambe Foundation.
28:56 Bruce and Denise spent almost a decade throwing themselves into campaigning and searching for answers.
29:02 And Denise said that when Brett was sentenced, she finally felt like she was able to take a moment,
29:07 go through Daniel's belongings, and sort out everything she had been compartmentalising for so long.
29:14 The case of Daniel Morecambe changed child safety in Australia,
29:18 and the determination and dedication of his parents and family inspired the nation.
29:24 The work of the Daniel Morecambe Foundation has been extraordinary.
29:28 Bruce and Denise want the foundation to give back to the community
29:32 who had supported them from the day that Daniel went missing.
29:35 The Daniel Morecambe Foundation is one of the most well-known
29:38 and not-for-profit child safety organisations in all of Australia.
29:42 Every year, thousands of people dress up in red to reflect the colour he was last seen wearing
29:48 for an annual National Day of Action for Child Safety.
29:51 This is held on the last Friday in October and is known as Day for Daniel.
29:56 It is Australia's largest child safety education and awareness day.
30:00 Day for Daniel begins with a four-kilometre walk,
30:04 symbolising the walk Daniel was never able to take to get home that day.
30:08 Parents, carers and educators are encouraged to start conversations
30:13 with children and young people about personal safety.
30:16 Schools and early learning centres conduct activities
30:20 and businesses and communities come together to raise awareness.
30:24 Bruce and Denise also met with Tim, Brett's first known victim,
30:29 to let him know that Brett would never hurt anyone again.
30:33 Daniel's twin brother Bradley honoured him at his wedding,
30:36 with his older brother and best man Dean carrying photos of him
30:40 so he too could be part of the big day.
30:43 After this, Bradley welcomed a baby boy.
30:46 His middle name is Daniel.
30:49 Daniel's older brother Dean also welcomed a little girl,
30:52 and she was even born on the same day that Day for Daniel was held.
30:57 The family still lay a seat for him at the Christmas table every year,
31:01 with his photo by his chair,
31:03 and his family make sure that his name will continue to help people
31:07 and never be forgotten.
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31:14 If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in today's episode,
31:18 we have left links to further resources in the description box below.
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