Three young men have received different sentences for the aggravated kidnapping of Peter Keeley, whose body was found in a stretch of bushland on the New South Wales south coast in 2020.
Justice Michael Walton handed down his sentence in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney after midday today.
Mr Keeley was a Canberra auctioneer and was 56 years old when he died.
He was found bound with tape on his wrists, head and ankles in Broulee bushland on February 2, 2020.
Justice Walton told the court that the "serious offence" involved planning by the three men, who were all aged 17 when the offence occurred.
"The deceased was struck repeatedly and with some force and was bound and gagged," he said,
"The assault was extensive, and the violence was significant."
All three men have been in custody since their arrest on February 13, 2020, and their sentences have been backdated until that time.
They cannot be identified because of their age at the time of the crime.
Justice Walton said that one of the boys played an "active and primary role" in the offence and gave him the most significant sentence.
"[He] played a leading and organising role in the offending," the judge said.
He was ordered to serve a non-parole period in juvenile detention for three years and 10 months, making him eligible for parole in December next year.
The court heard that this young man lured Mr Keeley to the Far South Coast from Canberra after speaking to him on the dating app Grindr.
Justice Walton said all three men had a "distorted view" that their behaviour was justified at the time because they "thought he was a paedophile."
"The court should discourage this type of vigilante behaviour," he said.
The second young man was sentenced to imprisonment for a non-parole period of two years and 11 months.
He will be eligible for parole in mid-January next year.
Meanwhile, the third boy received the most reduced sentence due to playing a less significant role in the offence and because of his severe mental health illnesses.
Justice Walton ordered that he serve a term of imprisonment for two years and 7 months, making him eligible for parole from September 12 this year.
The judge ordered the parole authority to consider releasing him on parole as soon as possible.
Some family members shed tears when the sentence was handed down at the Supreme Court today and they hugged the three young men after hearing of their fate.
Solicitor Peter Katsoolis said it was a "very just outcome" but that the young men will feel the effects of the incident a long time to come.
"I think it will haunt him and his family for the rest of their lives," he said.
The three young men were originally all charged with murder and aggravated kidnapping at the time of their arrest.
Two of the young men faced a judge-alone trial in May this year where they were found not guilty of murder, having previously pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping.
The murder charge against the third man was subsequently dropped in the Supreme Court in July, where he pleaded guilty to aggravated kidnapping.
A sentencing hearing was held in the Supreme Court last month where the defence and prosecution gave their final arguments.
At the time, Justice Walton denied an application by prosecutors to allow Mr Keeley's family to read their victim impact statements in court.
The court previously heard a disagreement between the three barristers, who were representing each young man individually, over the role they played in the incident.
Barrister Carolyn Davenport and public defender Richard Wilson both told the court that their clients did not play a primary role in the incident and sought a reduced sentence.
Crown prosecutor Nerissa Keay argued that barrister Clive Steirn's client was the "initiator of the assault on Mr Keeley".
The claim was disputed by Mr Steirn, who said all three men played an equal role in the crime.
Justice Walton told the Supreme Court today that it was clear that the three boys played different roles in the "serious offence," which he took into account for sentencing.
He said it was clear that all three men had shown remorse for their actions and that they had good prospects for rehabilitation.
The judge ordered that all sentences are to be served in juvenile detention.
