And when Andrew James Benn, now 30, of North Rothbury, was jailed for a maximum of 40 years in Newcastle District Court in August, 2018, there was a sense of relief among the victims that the man responsible for a four-year reign of terror across the Hunter would be behind bars until he was at least 57. But there were others close to the case who knew Benn would undoubtedly appeal against the severity of such a lengthy jail term, believed to be the longest sentence Judge Roy Ellis, the experienced Chief Judge of Newcastle's District Court, has ordered during his time on the bench.

And then on August 28, 2018, less than two weeks after he was jailed for at least 30 years, Benn's lawyers filed a notice of intention to appeal [NIA] against the severity of his jail term to the Court of Criminal Appeal.

The NIA is just the first step in the appeal process and must be filed within 28 days of the sentence.

Benn's lawyers were given six months, until February 28, 2019, to file the actual appeal. But that date came and went without an appeal being filed, the NIA expired and it appeared Benn would not be appealing against the severity of the jail term.

But then a few days later the NIA was extended for a further three months until May 31, 2019.

But again it expired without an appeal actually being filed.

This process repeated again and again throughout 2019, with Benn's lawyers first applying to extend the notice of intention to appeal and then letting it lapse without filing an appeal only to extend the notice of intention to appeal again.

The latest development, on December 13, 2019, was another extension of the notice of intention to appeal until March 5, 2020.

Still no actual severity appeal has been filed and it remains unclear if Benn plans to have his 40-year jail term re-considered by the CCA. There are at least 14 interested parties, the victims of the attacks, who would like to know with some certainty what his intention is.