The murder of Daniel Morcombe and the mission to find his killer | 60 Minutes Australia

we go inside the biggest murder investigation in Queensland's history the hunt for Daniel Malcolm's killer it's an extraordinary covert operation to outsmart and capture the worst kind of monster an opportunistic predator who can't control himself when it comes to sexually molesting young boys tonight Brett Peter Cohen's other victims are courageously speaking for the first time a father of three who nearly 30 years ago was Cohen's first victim and a shattered woman who was Cohen's girlfriend at the time of his second attack their stories are haunting also you'll hear exclusive details of the moment Cowan was arrested and how forensic experts found Daniel's body and there every step of the way through ten long years were Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise who vowed to never give up until they found their boy and his killer was caught [Music] it's unbearably cruel and desperately unfair but a family gathering for the Malcolm's means a visit to the symmetry the Daniel used to always swing clowns wear a watch off after school boys picked him for you because this is where Daniel is and nothing can ever change that I thought fair I think it's dusting it it's now more than 10 years since Daniel was murdered a decade of despair for Bruce and Denise Daniel's older brother Dean and bread Daniel's twin [Music] what is it that you miss the most about Daniel I'm just probably just being a normal family he always used to bring me flowers and follow knickknacks but he's always gonna be that 13 year old as me maybe one knows that face is there something in particular you miss about your son I think you know to watch him grow up and and become the man he should have been you know [Music] well being his twin now when it comes to your birthday which is a joint birthday with Daniel what are those moments like they're always hard suppose I've had ten birthdays now we've had him so not that they get any easier but I remember that first the first one twelve days after it disappeared and mmm I was terrible and because he disappeared so close to Christmas what is Christmas like in your family every year he still gets a a seat at the table with his photo on the table and he always gets a I guess it's a Cheers and then with Christmas and and that but yeah I guess it's it's not it's not the same as it would have been Bruce and Denice Malcolm are the embodiment of good triumphing over evil they've devoted the past three thousand seven hundred and fifty two days since Daniel disappeared to finding him and catching his killer Bret Peter Cowan and then you heard those three words guilty guilty muttered under my breath yes I wanted to scream out but I just knew I couldn't do that but I said yes and I turned around and I saw Bruce his eyes were watering Dean and Bradley were in tears and resumed its no can't believe it [Music] we say would get justice and that's what we've got we'll go and visit Daniel on the weekend and let him know we made a promise to him that's what we've done we don't break promises a week what do you think the prisoner might be doing tonight having bread and water I hope it was more than we've had you think Queensland's Sunshine Coast is a wonderful place to raise a family it coax the Malcolm's from Victoria years ago and their home videos typically show a young families fun but they also reveal why Daniels abduction and murder has touched all of us so deeply in these pictures we see ourselves and our own kids it's just a amazing run of incredible sequences that are all bad and you can't undo it I'm afraid no but you must just go over that and over that know that then ask why yeah look this is why us lots of things you know so many what-ifs that day it was early Sunday afternoon on the 7th of December 2003 less than two weeks to Daniels 14th birthday less than three to Christmas Daniel needed a haircut and he wanted to buy Christmas presents for his family so he left home about a kilometer away and walked here to catch a bus as he'd done countless times before from what we now know Daniels fate was sealed that day by a collision of unlikely and unlucky events ultimately the Daniel the difference between life and death came down to just three minutes a tiny moment in time but as it's so tragically turned out certainly long enough for evil to strike as Daniel waits at the bus stop that day Brett Peter Cowen is alone in his white four-wheel drive he's 34 known to police for a string of crimes drugs and theft but most seriously vicious attacks and rapes on young boys tragically for Daniel out of sight up the road is the bus he should have been catching but it's broken down Britt Cowen drives past the broken down bus and then around the next bend he spots the stranded 13-year old he knew the area incredibly well saw the kid in the red t-shirt his urges had come back and he's a filthy person so he's probably thought to himself it's time in that very instant this predator decides to strike he takes the very next exit less than 50 meters from Daniel and doubles back to a car path behind where Daniel is waiting perhaps we should have as parents equipped Daniel with additional skills to recognize potential danger and to run away when a goofy persons perhaps trying to attract his attention and and in a moment of weakness encourage him to go with him in each vehicle you know that's just a terrible thing that it wants us to be honest at the bus stop Cowen loiters behind Daniel pretending to also wait for the bus witnesses remember his distinctive stance they also remember seeing Daniel drawing in the dirt then the best luck for Cowan the worst for Daniel the replacement bus doesn't stop even though the driver knows Daniels there LastPass Daniel doesn't know it but another bus is coming to pick him up it's only three minutes away but less than three minutes is all it takes for bread Cowan to Swoopes how do you think coun convinced Daniel to get into the car well that's one thing I just don't understand I don't know [Music] maybe he was frustrated but I don't know how he convinced him I don't know Cowan doesn't take Daniel to the shops as he promised he drives 30 minutes south to a secluded farm bordered by bush by this time Daniel Malcolm must have been beside himself with fear it's a terrible place it's a scary no why not you would if you were sitting in the passenger seat with an unknown driver down that dirt road in Farrell bush you would know your body would be telling you I'm on a hell of a lot of trouble here and you'd probably smell death you know you've really got to be thinking I gotta get out of here I'm if he was able to [Music] what exactly happened to Daniel will never be known Cowen a Crim and a liar claims he panicked and strangled Daniel very soon after arriving at the farm you then dumped the little boy in the bush [Music] when did you first realize something was wrong it was about quarter past four I just got a weird feeling I don't know what it was so I said to Bruce I'm gonna go up to the bus stop deceive if Daniels air and I saw the broken down bus being put on a tow truck so Bruce went down to see if he was on a bus at left to five pacify so he got there about 5:30 when he came back and when you straight away there was something wrong we need that night after doing their own immediate search for their son Bruce and Denise called in the police Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon how quickly did police take Daniels disappearance seriously I think the first day there has been some criticism about the way in which it was handled but certainly I was on the ground two days later as the head of the homicide squad so by that time you knew this wasn't just a runaway you never know for sure but sometimes you just get a gut feeling that this is not right and it's not gonna end well [Music] just are so innocent Stoney's school not a care in the world as ours became days and days weeks the search for Daniel just got bigger and bigger if anyone's got any information and it's on their conscience who they please come forward and I need our burden he very quickly became Australia's most recognized missing person and that was thanks to the unrelenting efforts of his mum and dad it's a revolution that they've started and it reminds us every day our responsibility to make sure our children are safe you know we were never going to go away and we hope that our attitude has inspired some of those police officers along the journey that have been frustrated and thought this is never going to go anywhere but Shelvin let's turn it to a cold case we said no and I know even finished it go and guys coming down the Morgans desperate search for Daniel who in fact searching on her hands and knees Brett Cohen's evil past in vain and demon thirty years after three decades his first victim speaks out I haven't figured I haven't forgotten any of it that's next on 60 minutes we now know that Bret Cowan is an opportunistic and devious sexual predator but Bruce and Denice Malcolm could have no idea about Cowan's evil past as their desperate search for Daniel turned into a relentless hunt for his killer Cowan's depravity began 16 years before Daniels murder when he snatched and brutally molested a seven-year-old boy in Brisbane that young boy survived but is now a broken man tonight he's bravely speaking after a 27 year silence his story is harrowing and chilling for its similarities to Daniel's case at 33 and six-foot-five tim nichols is a big bear of a man he's a farmer with a family of his own now but most of his life has been shadowed by a violent sexual attack he suffered when he was just seven years old I was abroad student then after that my schooling why I had achieved my happiness was didn't have it no more he took a lot away from you didn't he he took everything he took my life [Music] for Brett Cowan the young Tim Nichols was just prey a plaything who like Daniel just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time did he say anything to you did he did he say he was sorry just said he would find me and kill me if I said anything and I was petrified all my life you know was he just going to turn up was he gonna get me suburban Brisbane Saturday the 5th of December 1987 and Tim and his young mates are at their regular childcare centre also there is 18 year old Brett Cowan unbeknown to the kids or their parents he's a young Krim made to work as part of his court-ordered community service punishment for break and enter and stealing he was in orange overalls and I just went to give him a helping hand with a couple other kids and what was he like yes you talked here for the next hour Cowen tries to groomed him gives him jobs and befriends him after a while the 7 year old gets bored until Cowan deviously lures him back this moment in time changes everything for this happy-go-lucky child let me think no he just yelled yes he wants a golf ball and we all put our hands up and don't know why but he just pointed to me and he said you have to come into the toilets and I said no and then he grabbed me and picked me up and took me into the toilets and at that point that he picked you up what did you think was going on I didn't know I couldn't say anything he had his hand over my mouth do you remember what you were feeling or fearing at that point scared didn't know what was happening the abduction is as sickeningly brazen as it is opportunistic cow and locks himself in a cubicle with the petrified team [Music] do you remember what you said to him no I told him I was gonna tell my mum and he started to strangle me he threatened he was gonna kill me grabbed me by the throat mmm if I didn't do it I thought I was gonna die so that Thresh you believed it you believed that he would kill you I was only a kid of course I did I thought I was I thought I was dying that day I didn't know what he was gonna do to me how extensive was the abuse hmm horrific I have trouble telling anyone I did it I won't tell you what he done but it's just it's just it's hard yeah it's not because you've forgotten is that I haven't forgotten I haven't forgotten any of it [Music] behind that locked cubicle door Cowan repeatedly raped Tim it only stopped when a childcare worker called out his name if it wasn't for that person I don't know what her name was or who she was if she didn't come and say Timmy you in there I believe it wouldn't be Cowan was quickly arrested for the rape of Tim Nichols but he was also given bail and like a coward Cowan did a runner he evaded police for two years when he was finally caught in New South Wales he was brought back here to Queensland to face justice and to face Tim who crucially was brave enough to testify against him [Music] you're just a little kid how tough was it for you to be in that courtroom and to tell everybody what had happened to you I had to look at him it was hard I had to point him to the person he attacked me and he was sitting there with a smile on his face just staring at me and it was I still remember that it was like it was a game to him like it was just smiling that's all I can remember him just smile and across the room unbelievably Cowan got two years for his rape of Tim and even more astonishing served little more than half the sentence so imagine then the more comes horror when they discovered Cowan sick past and just how little time he spent behind bars was something we don't understand we've readied his his place briefed and we knew his past criminal history but we've never been allowed to say anything about him and if he'd never been let out of jail we wouldn't be sitting here today Daniel would still be alive this would never have happened it's not an isolated case he hasn't made a blue and regretted you know he's been a demon for nearly thirty years it's just a shocking record Cowan was always a ticking time bomb before he murdered Daniel there would be yet another victim coming up it's just a cover for the evil man tease his girlfriend's night of terror he came home in her church with me and the police closed in on Brett Peter : that's next on 60 minutes the hunt for Daniel Malcolm's killer is all the more traumatic by the fact that Brett Peter Cohen had a sordid history of pedophilia after attacking Tim Nichols back in 1987 cow and moved to Darwin where he'd strike again and this time he'd try to kill the boy tonight for the first time Cowens then-girlfriend speaks out and as you'll see she's still haunted by every detail it was Darwin 1993 and this woman Tracy was just 18 little did she know the man she was sharing a caravan with here her very first boyfriend was a predator who was about to strike again and even now it's harrowing for her to talk about it [Music] people have described Bricktown as an animal as a monster I knew got very very close to this man denier how would you describe him at the beginning before I knew anything charming and confident very happy but that was just a cover for the evil manis he's not even a man I don't even know what to call him clearly he's very good at living two lives his name very good he's fought a lot of people this is Tracy's first time back to the caravan park in 20 years and little boy who was attacked how close did he lived to you two caravans away you know 20 steps this is also the first time Traci's retraced the events of the evening of Thursday the 23rd of September 1993 when Brett Cowan closed in on his six-year-old neighbor how difficult would it have been for Brett to lure that little boy down here oh not difficult he trusted Brady knew Brett and he must have said something to him like he couldn't have taken him screaming people would have heard you know it was just like any other get-together Tracy and friends from the caravan park were having their weekly barbecue Brett was still at work or so Tracy thought and the young boy was nowhere to be found as dusk fell his mother became frantic [Music] [Applause] he was kidnapped sometime between 5 and 7 p.m. but took him out the side guide at BP Palms caravan park took him into the bushes molested him for I don't know how long and left him in a boot of a burnt-out car with rocks and bricks and everything on top and left for dead by 7:30 p.m. Brett was back hiding in his Caravan as the owls were on there was still no sign of the boy did you see Brett that day that night yes what was his demeanor like very weird what was it about his behavior that was really weird he came home and had sex with me but I didn't like the smell or what he was doing to me I don't do leave me alone covered in blood with a punctured lung and broken collarbone both eyes hemorrhaging because during the rape pound had tried to suffocate him somehow miraculously the six-year-old managed to find his way out of the bush and back to the caravan park the attack was so violent the injury is so extensive it was thought the child had been in a road accident and for days we thought he'd been hit by a car for days two to three days then we got around that something more sinister it happened what was the word what were people saying they were looking for someone in the park that had kidnapped him and molested him they're looking for a rock spider so you know had no inkling you had no suspicion that the rock spider was Brett Keller your boyfriend what was his reaction to the word that that this child had been molested by a pedophile so we got to get that bastard we got a foreign team you know whoever he is and you believe that he had a hatred of pedophiles he wanted to kill him himself if he suitable finally we'll get him Cowan was sentenced to seven years for his brutal attack on that six-year-old boy here in Darwin but serve just four and half years after telling police he knew he needed help even then a lone psychologist raised doubts about Cowan's claims of remorse but the judge despite noting that Cowen was a pathological liar gave him the benefit of the doubt clearly a horrible pattern had been set opportunistic attacks on very young boys with Karin becoming ever more violent it seems with his release the abduction and murder of Daniel Malcolm was inevitable are you comfortable with the priority you gave to count at the time along with the other suspects were looking at absolutely and bearing in mind he was never considered anything else but a high-level person of interest Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon says police first interviewed Cowen a known pedophile two weeks after Daniels disappearance there were holes in his alibi but even still they didn't have the proof they needed considering his past considering that he'd placed himself at the spot where Daniel had gone missing considering that there had been some doubt about his timings why wasn't he the person of highest interest and because there were other persons of interest who were familiar with the area that if you were taking off boxes I take the boxes as well twenty thousand leads fifteen thousand inquiries with Crime Stoppers this investigation was ten times the size of most homicide cases [Music] while police were swamped with information so too were Bruce and Denise who tirelessly followed up every call and clue and conducted many of their own searches we're looking and when a junk pile we found some red cloth material and of course you know will immediately drawn that is potentially Daniels t-shirt so you know way back to that one searching on her hands and knees with scrapping with her fingernails were also great to me minute with their investigations took them into a world they never wanted to see to talk to scumbags they never wanted to meet you were confronting pedophiles yeah but they're generally weak gutless people really did you hear some terrible things oh look over the over the journey people fed us some shocking lawyers really different stories of what happened to Daniel yeah drugged smashed with the steel bar and the bushes hidden on desk evaders and hundreds of things hundreds of different things emails and letters we used to get all the time [Music] but ultimately their biggest win was finally convincing the coroner to hold an inquest in 2010 to cross-examine the long list of persons of interest of course the Queensland coroner has additional powers to police you know they can ask a person of interest very specific questions under oath and their kin can be compelled to answer those and so we thought that was the right way to go and it proved again breaker [Music] on the 31st of March 2011 seven years after Daniel was taken breasts Peter Cowen now living in Perth was forced to appear at the inquest in Brisbane as Karen was walking into the courtroom I just got a really cold shiver and the whole courtroom just went oh my god and I turn around to priests and I went oh my god that's that's him then he was just horrible it was horrible he was asked a series of questions at the inquest one of his responses was that he couldn't have abducted Daniel because no he said he didn't Daniel was 13 years old he liked sixty eight-year-old boys so he wouldn't have done it yes we just went oh my god you've gotta be joking how the police knew all this as well but I mean after the cranial we nearly flew over to Perth to do what to find him but luckily we didn't because we didn't know the covert operation had started a few days beforehand independently of the inquest police were reviewing the Malcolm case at which time Colin's alibi fell apart he was due to fly home to Perth after two days in the witness box and it was now police launched their audacious undercover operations Cowan is now the prime suspect how would you describe the police operation that happens from there absolutely remarkable who would have thought such a wacky a wacky covert operation would work like that by the time Cowan was on the flight back home to Western Australia police had planted an undercover cop right next to him going by the name of Joe they exchanged phone numbers contact has been made what Cowan so clearly thought was just a chance meeting with a like-minded fellow passenger was the in police so desperately needed Cowan was hooked and so the predator was now the prey this five our friendship turned into a massive five-month long undercover investigation so detailed so ambitious it needs to be seen to be believed coming up police set the trap to catch a killer police the moment Cowan's past catches up with him what was his reaction when he saw you and the man who found Daniel for Bruce and Denis that one phone call changed everybody's life that's next on 16 ins Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise always wanted to find their son first and get justice for him second after eight long years undercover police are about to help them realize both goals they set an elaborate trap to catch a pedophile but that was just the beginning of some stunning police work it started so simply a chance meeting on a long flight to Perth or so this pedophile thought big mouth shut - a friendship is strung I mean understand the trap is set from there undercover police posing as a band of criminal brothers recruit Brett Cohen into their game their organized crime spree starts with small-time drug dealing melon war and grows into debt collecting pimping and buying and selling weapons very quickly Cowan's trust is one over that was the breakthrough wasn't it well in terms of taking us to a new level absolutely when you are part of a covert operation like that that is so extensive so broad how nervous are you of pulling it off you don't sleep Queensland Assistant Commissioner Mike Condon coordinated the operation in Perth from Brisbane for five sleepless months there's a high expectation when some at all that'll be sold the stakes were high they had one chance to get it right and I was extreme caution I was very mindful that this was a critical milestone in the investigation and to progress to a point where I was satisfied we had sufficient evidence to arrest cooperation was critical the extent of the policing in Western Australia was breathtaking more than 20 different scenarios leading to the most important setup of all in a hotel room a meeting between Cowan and the crime gang boss Arnold Cowan is being offered a role in a big drug job for which he'll get a hundred thousand dollars we've got a problem so he doesn't jeopardize the deal all the gang he needs to come clean on his dirty parts Daniel Moore promoter if he does Arnold promises to fix it is there something you need to tell me all and bearing in mind that this whole what we do is based on respect and honesty all right the squeeze is on the undercover cop tell his Cowan he doesn't care what he's done he just needs to know I've got no qualms at all what they get up to doesn't faze me at all Bret Peter Cowan is suck it in it's so quiet almost nonchalant but this is the moment undercover police have been working and hoping for cow and confesses to Daniel's abduction and murder you know hearing him explain what he did and how he did it does that answer all the questions you have over what happened to Daniel he is a lying pedophile so you've really got to assess what you can check what you can verify but what he actually did you know nothing stacks up never got to molest him or anything like that he panicked and I panicked and grabbed him around the throw from before immunity is dead why didn't they not have clothes on it but don't understand that and why wasn't Daniel's belt looped through his pants you know was he bound up in his belt really we don't want to go there sometimes it's best we don't know it's the 11th of August 2011 he doesn't know it yet but this is Brett Collins last day of freedom not only have the police recorded a video confession they've now convinced Cowen to bring them back to where he killed Daniel on the pretext of making sure there's no incriminating evidence left at the sighs those covert operators we can never say thank you enough to those guys and to the people who set that up as well for what they do that didn't live and breathe with Carolyn for months and could you believe that Cowan fell for it that's the amazing thing we can't believe how stupid Karen was I was the arresting officer one of my aims of the day was to conduct an interview with mr. Cowan if he chose to for detective Senior Sergeant Steve Blanche field everything was riding on this moment the police net was closing in we had a number of officers hidden we also had recording equipment so that we were recording the conversations and that and in videoing what was occurring and that was how it happened Cowan still unaware of the trap text the undercover police on a grisly tool they mark their path to later retrace their steps and then the arresting officers pounced [Music] French Allen you're under arrest the photo of Daniel Wolff what was his reaction when he saw you he was a little stunned for a moment but not a lot has changed with mr. Cowan throughout this he's been very composed and shown very little in the way of emotion so you didn't see a moment in his eyes when the light bulb went off and he's got on now oh just been caught there was a moment so police had their man Cowen had first confessed and then incredibly he brought them back here to the area where the murder took place but still they didn't have Daniel what came next was as impressive as the undercover police operation the forensic team now talked over and for the next three months here on hands and knees they literally left no stone unturned we had to think outside the square for all of our options but we didn't stop until we found them for the first time police are prepared to reveal the intricate work they did in this sensitive place and detail the horror of what Cowen did here how do you find coming back here I find it very sad inspector Artie van penthouse was charged with pulling together a massive forensic team two days after Cowen was arrested to be honest that one phone call changed everybody's life police had been led to this place by a man who had confessed to murdering Daniel and leaving him here now they had to find him the information was that mr. Cowen had arrived here before strolling Daniel over the years going down the escarpment there and drag Daniel down through an area which is about 30 meters down there to a pond of water but despite more than a thousand SES volunteers and police painstakingly scouring this place the first days of the search were fruitless four days and there's nothing what was that like it was it was extremely frustrating you weren't giving up hope at the stage there was no way of giving up hope this was our first window of opportunity in eight years their faith paid off because on the fourth day of searching they had their first breakthrough day four was both a exciting one for us and a sad one because it was proof to us that we were in the right spot we had found a globe shoe which was similar to what Daniel was wearing at the time he disappeared and they found another shoe there's a couple days later they found the left shoe just over here so then I guess the drivers to find Daniel himself that's correct I was quietly optimistic that we were going to find all inspector penthouse was right while this gully was being searched the police diving team was concentrating on couch and creak a few kilometres away it's where Cowen had tossed Daniels clothes after murdering him they found remnants of Daniels Underpants a belt and his incredibly well-preserved shorts they were caught in the roots would have fallen log down there you couldn't imagine that they'd still be there now it was an amazing find that's for sure it took another four weeks of meticulous hand sifting through the sands and undergrowth but finally they found what they were here for this is the location where we found the majority of Daniels remains in this area here seventeen fragments seventeen fragments in total it doesn't sound much but it was a major point for us I just can't quite comprehend you know how how do you react when you told you we think that this might be your son we should have bacon some phone said they found a bone they didn't know whether it was genuine not and then he phoned back and said yes it is the bones of a young juvenile so we just you know assumed it was Daniel but we didn't know until a week later it was pretty tough yeah tough to was Cowan's decision to plead not guilty despite the overwhelming evidence and then two and a half years after Daniel was found and cow and arrested the jury went out Bruce and Denise will have to wait another 24 10 sounds Denise what are you most anxious about just the longer we have to wait whether it's going to be guilty or not guilty none of us like waiting finally the phone call to return to court and the guilty verdict everyone was waiting for [Music] compelling evidence has found beyond reasonable doubt mr. Cohen's guilt coming up Bruce and Denise react to cow's life sentence he'll be there forever you reckon yep he'll die in jail and they're pushed to protect kids from pedophiles they should be only register from from day one so no second chance no that's next on 60 minutes on Friday Bret Peter Cowan was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Daniel Malcolm the judge described Cohen as a convincing plausible and adaptable liar now it's fitting that Bruce and Denice Malcolm both towers of dignity strength and respect have the last word on the killer his sentence and how they'd like Daniel to be remembered on Friday the Malcolm's tried to be a normal family if just for a moment they chose not to go to court to see Brett Cowan be sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 20 years for murdering their Daniel it's a how many interest did we end up with on Facebook last night when I went today it was about one point two seven million that they were relieved when they heard that regular boy justice a concern has delivered a really substantial penalty and we acknowledge that he'll be there forever you reckon yep he'll die in jail Denise what was your reaction 20 years no I was happy with that you know hopefully he's dead brother Tommy 60 so I won't have to worry about the non-parole period so for you is this it I mean do you feel like you've come to the end of something today that feels a bit strange it sort of feels like it's sort of not being at the moment you know we've got all Daniels belongings at holman and maybe we can go through them and and sort that sort of thing why have you held on till now to do that never want to let him go space we know the answer you'll never let him go no he's always at 13 your book soon after Daniel went missing Bruce and Denise started the Daniel Malcolm Foundation initially as a way to publicize their son's disappearance but it's grown into so much more and as Daniels legacy it's good work will go on educating school kids all over the country and supporting people like Tim nickel back to your life before you wanted to meet nice to meet you a gentle but broken Souls who three decades later is still struggling because of Britt Cowan what would you like to do to him kill him so he done he doesn't get it and he can't do it any anyone else would serve jail time myself today that other kids that save I don't have a strong thing or the right thing but I'd sooner sit-in so I know that I've saved someone just I know you'll do it again if he gets here can you ever forgive Britt count for what he's done know what forgive back he destroyed a innocent boy and he took his life away No I'll never forget him I knew he's committed the most heinous of crimes you do not offend against our children you do not abduct them and you did not attempt to sexually assault them and you certainly do not kill them and then after all of that show no remorse from that's why there's no forgiveness because he's had no remorse to the family and stuffing stuffing we're stopping what about the debate of having a public register of pedophiles so that people are aware of where these sex offenders are living um I think once I've offended the first time and been charged and found guilty for that offense they should be on the register from from day one so no second chance no five seconds Bret Peter Cowan will only be remembered for all the wrong reasons the Daniel Malcolm will be remembered for so much more a child so loved by his parents and a nation he'll never be forgotten what do you think Daniel would think of you his mum and dad fighting so hard for him you'd hope you'd be proud he was a very shy person so you know to have Daniel Malcolm up in lights so much constantly at the moment yeah he would be little taken back by that I'm sure you know you to hold it together so well everyone talks about how brave you are and how controlled you are and how amazing you are that you can actually be here in the public eye talking about your son and talking about what's happened are you always this controlled are you always this together no you can lie this is not under oath this is your moment of truth it's no lie we're just beautiful people so we do have a lot of arguments but with it sweaty at the 24/7 yeah so but both always gonna be right it's the profit do you think you know after all this this week this very very big weight can you rest easier now probably not no I mean we're in that were public figures and people know what we're doing and where we are and and who we are and we're the parents with the the boy that was missing for ten years we'll do our best good luck thank you well then Bruce and Denise are the strongest people I've met but they need your support to continue the work of the Daniel Malcolm foundation already hundreds of thousands of children have heard the Malcolm's keep kids safe campaign you can help by visiting their website Daniel Malcolm comm dot a you hello I'm Tara brown thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

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Views: 3,106,431

Rating: 4.6385927 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Ellen Fanning, Peter Overton, Richard Carleton, Tracey Curro, Paul Barry, Peter Harvey, Michael Usher, Ross Coulthart, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, daniel morcombe, brett peter cowan, child abduction, queensland, morcombe foundation, denise morcombe, daniel morcombes parents, missing daniel morcombe, murder of daniel morcombe

Id: N6Pj8aS9oZ0

Length: 55min 7sec (3307 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 12 2020