Family Court bomber Leonard Warwick dies in jail aged 78
Convicted murderer and Family Court bomber Leonard Warwick has died in a Sydney prison while serving three life sentences.
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Convicted murderer and Family Court bomber Leonard Warwick has died in a Sydney prison while serving three life sentences for a series of violent attacks that spanned five years.
The 78-year-old was pronounced dead at Long Bay Hospital on Friday morning.
Warwick was convicted in 2020 for a string of crimes between 1980 and 1985, including the murders of Family Court Justice David Opas, Justice Raymond Watson’s wife Pearl Watson, and Jehovah’s Witness congregation member Graham Wykes.
Justice Peter Garling, who sentenced Warwick to three life terms, described his actions as “calculated, violent and hateful” and an attack on Australian democracy.
The former firefighter had launched a deadly vendetta against those he believed had ruled against him in a bitter Family Court dispute with his ex-wife, Andrea Blanchard.
The Jehovah’s Witness congregation had offered support to Warwick’s ex-wife during their court battle.
Although Warwick was an early suspect, he was not arrested until 2015.
His conviction came after decades of investigation and testimony, including from Ms Blanchard, who described his escalating violence, threats, and abuse before she left him in 1979.
Warwick’s death will be subject to a formal review.
A Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman confirmed to the Daily Mail that “any death in custody is immediately reported to the NSW Coroner and subject to a compulsory, rigorous public inquiry”.
Despite his convictions, Warwick maintained his innocence.
His solicitor had argued there was “not a scintilla of acceptable evidence” linking him to the attacks.
The court, however, found otherwise and sentenced him to die behind bars.
Originally published as Family Court bomber Leonard Warwick dies in jail aged 78
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