EXCLUSIVEHow Australia's most notorious killer mum could walk free a millionaire after bombshell revelations about rapist jail guard's reign of terror

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One of Australia's most high-profile murderers could walk free a millionaire after explosive claims of corruption and bullying behind prison walls.

Convicted baby killer Keli Lane, 50, was sexually assaulted on a daily basis by prison guard Wayne Astill inside Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Sydney's north-west.

Her key testimony against Astill helped convict him of multiple sexual assaults - but Lane now says that speaking out has put a target on her back.

She is suing NSW Corrective Services and the state government for $2million in a civil case alleging other prison officers are now making her life hell.

The former water polo champion is 15 years into her 18-year sentence for the 1996 murder of her newborn baby Tegan.

She was behind bars when Astill began forcing himself on her during his 20-year reign of terror at the jail.

But Lane alleges that after revealing how Astill raped her in prison offices and storerooms, other guards regularly trashed her cell and revoked her privileges to 'teach her a lesson.'

'Keli is treated differently than other prisoners and everyone inside knows it,' a prison insider revealed. 

Convicted baby killer Keli Lane, 50, (pictured in 2006) was alleged sexually assaulted daily at the Dillwynia Correctional Centre in Sydney's north-west by former prison guard Wayne Astill.

In 2023, Astill was jailed for a maximum of 23 years for abusing his position and assaulting women at the maximum-security facility.

'It's been an ongoing issue and she has finally had enough.

'She has just lost all trust in the system and believes she is being singled out because fingers have been pointed at officers who turned a blind eye to Wayne's behaviour for years.'

In 2023, Astill was jailed for a maximum of 23 years for abusing his position and assaulting women at the maximum-security facility.

Astill was a former prison officer who was promoted to chief correctional officer at the prison before his arrest in 2019.

He was found guilty of 27 charges, including aggravated sexual and indecent assault, prompting a state government inquiry into how he escaped justice for decades

The inquiry handed down its report in March 2024 and found Astill should 'never have been employed' in the state's prisons.

It also stated 'corruption or incompetence' led to Corrective Services NSW hiring him in 1999.

Lane's ordeal at the hands of Astill was revealed by Greens state MP Sue Higginson who used parliamentary privilege to reveal Lane was a witness in the government inquiry.

'These assaults were taking place daily over years, and there were officers who knew what was going on and did nothing,' Ms Higginson told NSW Parliament.

Lane's statement, read out in parliament by Ms Higginson, said that Astill 'would hot slice me, run his hands between my legs.

Lane's alleged serial assaults by Astill were revealed by Greens MP Sue Higginson (pictured) who told the NSW Parliament that Lane was a witness in a government inquiry into his abuse

The abuse took place at the Dillwynia Correctional Centre where Lane was told to have sex with Astill at the reception office or the storehouse.

'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.

'That is when the offending would happen. He would grab my hand and put it on top of his penis. 

'He pressed against me and he would try and touch my breasts and he would also try and touch between my legs.

'He mentioned he liked boats and that he would like to see me on his boat, preferably topless.'

Ms Higginson told the parliament that Lane had 'unwittingly' reported the abuse to a prison officer who was Astill's de facto partner.

'Ms Lane has personally experienced and witnessed some of the cruellest conditions imaginable while powerless in prison,' said Higginson.

'She has been sexually assaulted and groped by multiple officers, experienced daily bullying and harassment, and has been unfairly persecuted.'

Lane claims the abuse started when Astill let her use a mobile phone to call her daughter while she was in a Behavioural Intervention Unit which Lane saw as a 'privilege.'

Before long Astill's comments began to concern Lane.

'He was commenting that he believed I didn't have any tan lines. He couldn't understand how I had an all-over tan and that he was interested in seeing those tan lines,' Lane said in her witness statement.

Lane claimed that Astill had never been present during her routine strip searches and believed she was being talked about amongst staff. 

 Astill then began to seek Lane out daily and would shove her up against a filing cabinet, pressing his beer belly against her and groping her breasts and her genital area, forcing kisses on her.

'I had nightmares about that, about the pressure of his fat body and about his false teeth possibly falling out on my face. That may sound weird but that's how disgusting it was,' Lane said.

'Because of the consistency and the frequency of Astill's interactions with me and calling me to the office,' Lane explained. 

'I believed that the officers that I've named thought that I was being favoured, that I was getting favours, I was getting preferential treatment and therefore their behaviours towards me started to change.' 

Yet Lane claims that even after Astill was brought to justice, her nightmare continued.

'I'm a pretty confident and pretty positive style of person and over that period of time my behaviours started to disintegrate and I was often visibly upset, angry, physically I had lost a lot of weight,' she said.

'It was very clear that I was struggling in that compound and not one person named so far asked me if I was okay. 

'Even after all the rumours, all the talk amongst inmates, I mean jails are run by rumours and talk. 

'It goes on all day long. And so they would have been very, very aware that I was not doing well'

She is suing NSW Corrections Minister Anoulack Chanthivong and the state's Corrections Commissioner Leon Taylor, alleging she has faced regular harassment in jail.

In documents lodged with NSW Supreme Court, Lane alleges she was targeted because of her crime, the media interest in the case and for her 'continual fight for innocence.'

When she appeared via videolink on March 4, she told the court she will make two claims – one for personal damages and the other seeking a judicial review into her case.

Representing herself from Bolwara Transitional Centre, Lane requested an adjournment to allow more time to brief a lawyer.

Lane said targeting a prisoner was known as 'therapy' and included trashing their cell and possessions, and hampering visits, mail and phone calls to 'teach inmates a lesson'.

Representing herself from Bolwara Transitional Centre, Keli Lane (pictured outside court in 2010) requested an adjournment to allow more time for her to brief a lawyer

The inquiry handed down its report in March 2024 and found Wayne Astill should 'never have been employed' in the state's prisons

She claims she has found the process challenging because any communication she has is screened by Corrective Services NSW, which she is suing.

'Being in custody, my documents are being read by the same people I'm up against,' Lane told the court.

'I'm representing myself, and the difficulty I'm finding is that it's a live issue – these issues are still occurring and I've been frustrated for two years trying to mediate this situation.'

The former school sports teacher was convicted in 2010 of murdering her newborn baby, after prosecution said Lane became pregnant five times in seven years in the 1990s while pursuing her international water polo career.

The court heard Lane terminated the first two pregnancies and after put the third up for adoption.

Daughter Tegan Lee Lane was born at Sydney's Auburn Hospital on September 12 1996, but less than two days later, Lane discharged herself with the child.

Between 12pm and 3pm, she arrived at her parents' home alone, and a few hours later she was a guest at a friend's wedding, dressed in white, with her then-partner.

The court was told she made no mention of Tegan, or any indication where the child was.

The former water polo champion is 15 years into her 18-year sentence for the 1996 murder of her newborn baby Tegan

In 1999, Lane tried to have a late term abortion in Queensland 25 weeks into her fifth pregnancy, but was refused when doctors said the foetus would be viable.

Three months later, in May 1999, Lane gave birth to a boy who she immediately put up for adoption - but told a social worker it was her first child, which sparked a probe.

A DOCS worker then reported baby Tegan missing to police, which triggered a fruitless manhunt to find the infant and establish the identity of the child's father.

Lane maintains she gave the two-day-old baby to a man she initially called Andrew Morris, before later correcting the name to 'Norris'.

A police search of records from organisations including the Australian Electoral Commission, the Tax Office, and registries of births, deaths and marriages revealed scores of men named Andrew Norris or Andrew Morris.

But police have never been able to find the man in question.

The inevitable conclusion was that Andrew was another false lead in Lane's long trail of lies and deceptions over the years.