Robert Scott, the father of murdered schoolteacher Stephanie Scott, has died after being struck by a falling tree while clearing trees on a farm in Canowindra, New South Wales. Police were called to the property on Namami Road at about noon on Tuesday following reports of a death.
It is believed Mr Scott died instantly when a tree fell on him. His body was discovered on Tuesday morning. The incident occurred less than three weeks after his daughter's killer, Vincent Stanford, was sentenced to life in prison.
Stephanie Scott, 26, was murdered by Stanford, a cleaner at Leeton High School, in April last year. She had gone to the school on Easter Sunday to plan lessons for her class. Stanford was also sentenced to 15 years for aggravated sexual assault.
Following the sentencing, Stephanie's mother, Merrilyn, expressed hope that the family could begin to heal. 'We need to be kind to ourselves and let the music and fun back in. We need to be able to fade from public view, to mourn our beautiful girl and work our way through our grief,' she said outside the NSW Supreme Court.
