Victorian father Robert Farquharson found guilty of murder of three sons

VICTORIAN man Robert Farquharson has been found guilty of murdering his three sons by driving them into a dam on Father's Day.

Jai, Bailey and Tyler Farquharson, who died on Father's Day 2005 when the car driven by their father plunged into a dam. Picture: Jon Hargest

VICTORIAN man Robert Farquharson has been found guilty of murdering his three sons by driving them into a dam on Father's Day.

A Supreme Court jury today handed down its verdict on Farquharson, who was charged with murdering Jai, 10, Tyler, 7, and Bailey, 2, on Father's Day 2005.

The verdict, following an 11-week retrial, was the second time he had been found guilty of the murders.

As the verdict was delivered, Farquharson shook his head and mouthed “no” and appeared shocked and upset.

His supporters in court, including his sisters, wept.

Farquharson, 41, had pleaded not guilty, telling jurors he had a coughing fit, blacked out and woke up in the dam near Winchelsea, in Victoria's southwest.

In his closing address earlier this month, prosecutor Andrew Tinney SC said Farquharson's resentment and anger towards his former wife “drove him to commit an almost unspeakable act of vengeance”.

Mr Tinney said after murdering the children, Farquharson had the “delicious reward” of telling his ex-wife, Cindy Gambino, about the deaths.

But Farquharson's barrister, Peter Morrissey SC, said his client had blacked out while driving before ending up in the dam. He said the fact that Farquharson invited a friend to join them on their Father's Day trip to Geelong meant he could not have been planning to murder the boys.

Mr Morrissey said his client was a shy and uneducated man, who loved his children.

Farquharson was convicted in 2007 of his son's murders and sentenced to three life terms.

However the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction last year and ordered a retrial, saying a miscarriage of justice occurred.

Additional reporting: AAP