Brett Peter Cowan Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

Brett Peter Cowan. Photo: 7

Brett Peter Cowan has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 20 years, for the 2003 abduction and murder of Sunshine Coast schoolboy Daniel Morcombe.

Justice Rosyln Atkinson handed down the sentencing in a Brisbane court, calling Cowan's behaviour "entirely abhorrent."

A jury found the father of three guilty of the crime in the Brisbane Supreme Court yesterday.

"I am not of the view that you should be released in 20 years' time," said Justice Atkinson. "That is not in my control."

Daniel's parents, Bruce and Denise, were not present in court for the sentencing for "personal reasons".

Jurors on Thursday found the 44-year-old father of three guilty of indecently dealing with 13-year-old Daniel, murdering him and interfering with his corpse after luring him from a Sunshine Coast bus stop on December 7, 2003.

After deliberating for nearly eight hours, the jury was discharged on Thursday after reaching a unanimous verdict.

RELATED: Brett Peter Cowan Found Guilty

Media outlets are now able to reveal Cowan's perverted sexual past, which includes horrific sex attacks on boys in Brisbane and Darwin in 1987 and 1993, for which he served nine years in jail.

During sentencing submissions before Supreme Court justice Rosyln Atkinson, crown prosecutor Michael Byrne QC argued Cowan deserved a longer sentence.

He cited Cowan's previous convictions, which the jury was not told about, including the rape of boys aged six and seven.

But Cowan's defence lawyer, Angus Edwards, argued his client deserved a more lenient sentence because he didn't intentionally kill Daniel.

Denise and Bruce Morcombe leave the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014.

Daniel's parents Bruce and Denise have tendered victim impact statements describing the anguish of losing their son at the hands of a child molester.

With Cowan present in the courtroom, Denise Morcombe described him as a "perverted soul" who underestimated the Morcombe family's drive to catch Daniel's killer.

"That was your mistake, you evil, evil, unhuman thing," she wrote.

Daniel’s parents Bruce and Denise, brother Dean, and his twin brother Bradley clasped hands before bursting into tears as the verdict was read out in court.

"On behalf of our entire family, we thank everyone who has contributed to finding the answers and especially for never forgetting Daniel," said Bruce and Denise in a statement.

"Thanks largely to the covert police involved and SES searchers plus scientific experts, a child killer has been exposed."

A Justice spokesman confirmed that the judge would be delivering a sentence to Cowan later today.

More to come.