In July of 1998 twelve year old schoolgirl Quanne Diec left her Granville home to walk to school - and simply disappeared. It was feared that she had been abducted and this resulted in an intense police investigation. This was before the extensive use of cameras, both in cars travelling nearby roads and in the extensive system that covers shopping precincts that we have today.
Despite police using a model dressed in recognisable school clothing walking the route to jog memories it seems that Quanne's disappearance remained a mystery and her loss was grieved by her family.
In November 2016 a man walked into a Sydney police station and voluntarily confessed to killing this schoolgirl. He claimed that he abducted her in a ransom attempt gone wrong, panicked and strangled her and buried her body in bushland south of Sydney. Hr willingly took police to an area where he claimed this burial took place. Despite extensive digging, no body was found.
On the basis of this confession, Vinzent Tarantino (52) was charged with murder and stood trial in the NSW Supreme Court. The jury heard evidence that Tarantino had confessed this murder to his brother and two former partners over several decades, but had been disbelieved., but he now changed the story and claimed that his confession was a lie.
In a new twist, Tarantino claimed he confessed to ensure he would be locked away in prison and this would enable him to be protected from bikie revenge. He had witnessed the aftermath of a triple murder in 1997 and as a consequence he and his family were under threat from a bikie gang.
The murder trial then heard evidence from two psychiatrists and a psychologist who agreed that Mr Tarantino was experiencing a schizoaffective disorder - a long term mental illness involving persistent delusions and hallucinations.
The jury of four men and seven women deliberated for six days before returning a " not guilty " verdict. Mr Tarantino walked from the court a free man.
We can understand the anguish this trial has caused Quanne Diec's family. The hope that her disappearance may be leading to closure has been dashed and the mystery remains. It will be impossible to estimate what this false confession cost the state of New South Wales by way of the police investigation and the trial that followed but there is no doubt it would be in the realm of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
When Mr Tarantino left court he was pursued by a media pack. As her got into a taxi he shouted " You want to come and see me, get your chequebooks ready. I've wasted three years of my life ".
It seems ironic that a man with a mental disturbance has brought a twenty-one year old mystery back to life, caused anguish to the parents of a dead little girl and now stands a chance of selling his life story to newspapers ad magazines because he has become the latest " celebrity ".
It is no vindication to know that this missing person case remains open - and active - in the ongoing activities of the NSW police.
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