While Keli Lane is already serving her prison sentence for murder – her legal team has been in court this morning seeking justice for the alleged sexual misconduct she’s faced behind bars.
“Keli has been punished enough,” MP Sue Higginson, who’s been a long-time supporter of Keli Lane tells Woman’s Day.
“Her strength and bravery has exposed sexual abuse and other serious misconduct as a systematic crisis in NSW Prisons, and the NSW government has targeted her because of it.”
While Lane was not present at the NSW Supreme Court hearing this morning, the 51-year-old is suing the NSW government for $2 million and alleges corrective services failed in its duty of care to protect her as she serves her 18-year prison sentence for murdering her newborn daughter, Tegan.
“The NSW government has caused serious harm to Keli, and Corrective Services have a responsibility to compensate her for this harm,” Sue says.
“They should offer a settlement package to Keli for the injury they’ve done to her. Keli should already be out of prison, it is an awful injustice that the government is dragging her through the courts while refusing to release her after she has served her sentence.”
The suit initially also targeted 13 individuals including current and former corrective officers and commissioners and also alleges she was targeted, harassed and bullied by staff for making complaints about prison officers. Last September, the Supreme Court instructed Lane to refine the “grave allegations” .
Former prison officer Wayne Astill is named in the suit. In 2023, Astill was jailed for 23 years for the rape and indecent assault of nine women while working as a guard at Sydney’s Dillwaynia Correctional Centre, until his suspension in 2019.
LANE’S ALLEGATIONS
Lane alleges that Astill sexually assaulted her every day for years and was a government inquiry witness to his abuse.
Lane’s allegations, read to parliament by Greens MP Sue Higginson in March 2025, said that: “[Astill] would hot slice me, run his hands between my legs.
“He would tell me where he wanted to have sex with me, either in the reception office or in a storehouse near there, where we wouldn’t be disturbed.”
The MP told the parliament that Lane had “unwittingly” reported the abuse to a prison officer who was Astill’s de facto partner.
“Corrections officers called her a dog, a whore, a slut, they commented on her body during strip-searches and rampaged her room constantly as a form of punishment, she endured rumours from other inmates that she was giving senior officers head jobs and that they were bribing other inmates to assault her.
“When she reported this, she was told, ‘You’re not special’.
The Guardian has reported that another of Astill’s victims who was part of a class action was set to be paid an “undisclosed” sum by the NSW government.
And it appears Lane could settle as well, as her case will be heading to mediation later this year.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
While Lane seeks justice against Astill – she’s counting down the days until December 12, 2028 – when she’ll be able to walk free from prison after 18 years behind bars.
Her most recent application for parole in March last year was denied under the no body, no parole legislation.
“Keli is now a political prisoner caught in the impossible conundrum of the no body no parole law that was introduced to punish a man who murdered his wife,” says Sue.
“Keli has maintained her innocence from the outset so how can she ever satisfy such a law? As a political prisoner she has been tortured and in any other circumstances she would already be free.”
“This is a woman that has been through the very worst that prisons expose people to, and employees of the government assisted with hiding abhorrent sexual abuse against her. Enough is enough.”
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