A South Australian woman says she's gone from "living with the sins of my mother" to now knowing it was the "sins of my father" after his conviction for bashing his wife to death 47 years ago.
Marie Adams, daughter of Colleen Adams, has told the Supreme Court in Adelaide that she had lived for most of that time believing her mother had walked out on the family when she was just three years old.
She said that had left her feeling abandoned, rejected and like she didn't belong.
"Everyone in town knew about the story of my mother going missing," Ms Adams said in a victim impact statement.
"The fact that it was one of those untold stories of the town hung over my head.
"I felt like I was living with the sins of my mother, and now I realise it was the sins of my father," Ms Adams said in a victim impact statement on Wednesday.
Late last month, Geoffrey Adams was acquitted of the murder of his wife but found guilty of her manslaughter.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to the lesser charge in what was the oldest cold case killing to be solved in SA.
His plea had not been accepted by the prosecution.
Amid an argument in the family home at Maitland in 1973, Adams had struck the 24-year-old twice over the head with a metal object.
He then buried her body in the backyard and had lied about her disappearance, repeatedly telling everyone, including police, that she had walked out on the family, unable to cope with caring for her children.
In September 2018, the 72-year-old eventually directed police to her remains, under concrete slabs in the backyard of the Yorke Peninsula property.
His daughter said she would never stop grieving the loss of her mother and the loss of her childhood.
"But the most meaningful moment from all of this has been knowing that my mother did love me and that she didn't choose to abandon me," Ms Adams said.
"Not only have I lost my mother, but I feel that I have also lost my father."
In sentencing submissions, prosecutor Jim Pearce QC told the court that because Adams had pleaded guilty to manslaughter, he was entitled to a discount on his sentence of up to 30 per cent.
But Mr Pearce said the burying of the body and the deception that followed for such an extended period of time had to be considered aggravating factors in determining the length of the jail term.
Defence counsel Bill Boucaut QC agreed but said Adams had eventually offered a "measure of cooperation".
"Even a belated confession is better than no confession," he said.
Justice David Peek said he expected to sentence Adams before Christmas.
Australian Associated Press
