We are living through hell every day, Rowe family relatives tell in victim impact statements

SUE Mahoney was overcome with emotion, but nothing would stop her confronting Jason Alexander Downie to vent her grief, anger and hatred.  

THE family and friends of Jason Downie's victims have vowed never to forgive him for taking away "three angels".

She had just one question for the young man who killed her beloved brother, Andrew: "Why?"

"It consumes my every waking moment ... (medication) doesn't help or lessen my hatred," Mrs Mahoney said.

"I feel so much anger, hate and dislike toward Jason Downie and I will never forgive him. We have to live with this loss for the rest of our lives ... it's only fair he serves the rest of his (in jail)."

Mrs Mahoney's words struck home - her's was the victim impact statement that provoked the biggest reaction from Downie. He glared at her, then leaned forward and scowled, as she bemoaned his "right" to go on living.

Rose Rowe's brother, Ray Maurici, also struck home when he called Downie "an animal".

The killer scowled as Mr Maurici dubbed him a remorseless killer "all because you couldn't have my niece".

More than 60 members of the Rowe and Maurici families held hands and cried during the hearing. Tears flowed when a statement written by Andrew and Rose's son, Christopher, was read by court staff.

Christopher, sitting in the front row, tore his gaze from Downie as the court heard of his struggle to cope with loss.

His statement said "everything" was different - "every Christmas, every birthday, every special day".

"In the future, getting married will be hard, having children will be hard ... my mum and dad will not be there to be the grandparents they wanted to be," it read.

He also paid tribute to his sister, Chantelle, who "couldn't wait to be 18".

"I planned to teach her to drive when I got back from my Queensland holiday," he wrote. "Now I will not get the chance to do that.

"Chantelle took (lots) of photos of our family and, now, that's all I have ... I feel empty. No matter what anyone does, it's not going to bring them back or change it."

Christopher's fiancee, Coralie-Anne Glanville-Smith, attacked Downie in her statement.

"You Jason, still have your family - how could you take away someone else's like that?" she said.

"Do you care, do you have feelings? No, you are stone cold and don't have feelings, in my eyes."

She said she was "engaged to the strongest man in the world", but her heart broke because of Christopher's pain.

"He is angry with the world, lost and doesn't know where he belongs," she said.

"We are living through this nightmare and hell every day of our lives."