Four words that led to the murder of a 12yo Queensland girl
Sian was 12 when she took a shortcut through a Noosa park to race her mother home – but she never arrived.
WARNING: DISTRESSING
‘Today is the day …’
It was those four simple words that sealed Sian Kingi’s fate.
On the morning of 27th of November, 1987, a twisted criminal decided it was time to finally launch the sickening plan he had been fantasising about for months.
Barrie Watts, then 34, whispered to his wife Valmae Beck that “today is the day” the pair were finally going to make his fantasy, a reality.
He had confessed his dark desires to his partner in the weeks leading up to the attack, and eager to please him, Valmae agreed to help.
More than anything, Barrie said he had always wanted to be the “first and last” sexual partner of a young, virgin girl.
His plan was to kidnap the perfect victim off the street, with the sole intention of raping and killing her.
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But to carry out such a vile idea, Barrie knew he needed the help of a woman in order to gain the trust of the girl, and lure her into his clutches.
Desperate for approval from her husband, the 44-year-old mum-of-six promised to help him.
The pair drove around looking for the perfect victim until they spotted 12-year-old Sian Kingi, a blonde schoolgirl still in uniform, riding around on her bike.
What unfolded next shocked and sickened every parent in Australia to their core.
‘See you at home, mum!’
Finishing up school on a sunny Friday afternoon, Sian waved goodbye to her friends, hopped on her bright yellow bike, and looked forward to another fun-filled weekend in her hometown of Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The 12-year-old had been invited to a party in a few days time, so she met her mum Lynda at a fabric shop after school to decide on the perfect pattern for a new dress.
But tragically, Sian would never get to wear it.
The pair started to make the short journey home together, with Lynda walking while her daughter rode her bike.
While they normally stayed together, Sian decided to take a short cut through the park, as her mum walked around it.
When Lynda reached home, she expected to be greeted by Sian, who should have made it back to the house a few minutes earlier.
But she wasn’t there.
Thinking that her daughter must have met with friends on the way, Lynda wasn’t too concerned at first – but as time went on, worry began setting in.
As soon as Sian’s father arrived home, the pair ventured out in search of their daughter.
But when they discovered her bike abandoned in the park, they knew something was terribly wrong.
‘Can you help me find my dog?’
Those close to Sian all described her in the same way: happy, sweet, innocent, and most of all, kind.
It was these beautiful traits that sadly would make her the perfect target.
As she confidently rode through the park, eager to beat her mum home, Sian was approached by a distraught woman calling out for her dog.
A lover of animals, Sian sympathised with the woman when she asked for help to find her beloved “white poodle wearing a pink bow”.
It was this split-second decision – made from the goodness of a little girl’s heart – that cost the 12-year-old her life.
Just moments later, Barrie Watts sneaked up behind Sian and grabbed her, before throwing her into his station wagon.
Taping the terrified little girl’s hands and mouth, the couple drove 12km to Tinbeerwah Forest.
Watts repeatedly raped Sian.
He then stabbed her 12 times in the chest, before cutting her throat.
Then – as if nothing had ever happened – the couple dumped her remains and went home to enjoy the rest of their evening on the couch watching television.
Six days later, Sian’s body – still dressed in her school uniform – was discovered in a creek bed.
‘I’d like to do it again’
Upon hearing that Sian’s remains had been found, Beck and Watts fled down south to The Entrance, New South Wales.
Not surprisingly, this crime was not the first the pair were involved in.
In the weeks leading up to the attack, they had attempted to kidnap several young women, but all had managed to escape.
The hunt for the killers and their arrest was led by Bob Atkinson, Queensland’s former police commissioner.
It took him and his colleagues only a matter of days to identify the murderers.
In a secretly recorded conversation between the couple, Barrie Watts – speaking about the rape and murder of Sian – told his wife that he’d “like to do it again”.
“It was clear that Watts was a determined, ruthless, cunning man who was unlikely to confess or display any remorse,” Detective Atkinson would later write in a report.
“It was later to become apparent that Watts was a psychopathic killer who enjoyed his murderous activity.”
‘Evil, callous and depraved’
The murder sparked anger across the country.
Outraged locals pelted rocks at the couple during their first appearance at the Noosa Magistrates Court and many demanded the return of the death penalty.
Valmae Beck pleaded guilty to the abduction and rape, but not the murder, of Sian Kingi.
She was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in October 1988.
Beck was extradited from NSW days before what would have been Sian’s 13th birthday, and gave a detailed confession about the crime.
She told the court that Sian “never cried, never shed a tear, (she was) a brave little girl, she never uttered a peep, she just did everything he told her”.
Justice Jack Kelly described Beck as “callous and depraved”, telling her “no decent person could not feel revulsion at what you did … a woman with children of your own”.
Barrie Watts pleaded not guilty to all charges, but was found guilty of murder and was jailed for life in December 1990.
Justice Kelly said Watts should never be released from prison, or only be released on parole if he was of an age where he could not cause “menace to young girls”.
It was not until a decade later that Barrie Watts finally admitted to the rape, torture and murder of Sian Kingi.
Where are they now?
Valmae Beck, who changed her name to Fay Cramb, died in hospital in May 2008 after being transferred from Townsville Correctional Centre in Queensland, where she complained of shortness of breath.
She underwent heart surgery and was placed into a coma, but never fully regained consciousness before passing away.
Barrie Watts remains at Wolston Correction Centre in Wacol, Queensland.
He made a controversial bid for freedom in 2021, but his application for parole was denied.
The move sparked widespread community outrage that led to a petition to keep Watts behind bars, which reached nearly 75,000 signatures.
Sian’s Law
In the aftermath of Watts’ attempt at parole, a historical Bill proposed to the Corrective Services Act was passed in 2021, in a bid to help keep the “worst of the worst” killers behind bars for longer.
The amendment, dubbed “Sian’s Law”, allows the president of the Parole Board Queensland to make a declaration that a person convicted of murdering a child, or murdering multiple people, will be blocked from getting parole for up to 10 years beyond their eligibility date.
Multiple declarations can be made against the same person.
How you can help
Sian’s Law gained support from the parents of Daniel Morcombe, who faced potential repeated parole attempts from their son’s murderer, Brett Peter Cowan.
More Coverage
Daniel was just 13 when he was abducted and murdered in December 2003, while waiting for a bus to the shopping centre, where he planned to buy Christmas presents for his family.
His parents, Denise and Bruce, established the Daniel Morcombe Foundation in honour of their son.
The charity aims to make Australia a safer place for children, by educating children and young people about how to stay safe in physical and online environments and to support young victims of crime.
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