As a distraught Keli Lane heard the verdict that would put her behind bars for 13 years, she turned to her mother and close friend from the dock and whispered; “Where’s Patrick?”
He was her first thought as her worst case scenario became a reality.
Patrick Cogan was Keli’s childhood sweetheart.
Exposed: The Case of Keli Lane. Post continues after podcast.
They’d dated as teenagers and then later reconnected just before she was arrested in 2009.
He stood by her during her four and a half month trial for the murder of her two-day old baby, Tegan, in 1996.
He dutifully listened to the evidence that his girlfriend had managed to conceal five pregnancies between the years of 1992 and 1999.
In his eyes she was innocent of any wrongdoing, and incapable of the murder she was accused of committing.
He sent long stem roses to court when he couldn’t attend, and stood by her when her sentence was handed down, visiting her in Silverwater Women’s Correctional Centre for years.
It was an off and on again love affair thanks to the hardships of one of them being in prison. Apparently, Keli begged Patrick to move on – but that begging was soon replaced with dreams to one day marry.
In 2014, when Keli’s final appeal was rejected, he told the media he’d never stop loving her.
Patrick even told The Daily Telegraph, Keli had gone “gay for the stay” to survive.`
