Valera claimed to have lost control when Arkell when wanted him to be the active partner for the first time. Valera also testified that he had been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of his own father, Jack Van Krevel, from the age of seven. In convicting Valera of murder the jury had rejected the homosexual advance defense. In sentencing Valera to two terms of life imprisonment, Justice Studdert rejected Valera's evidence that he had been sexually abused by his father or that Arkell had asked him to engage in sexual activity and that this prompted a loss of self control. Notes 1935 births 1998 deaths Mayors and Lord Mayors of Wollongong Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Australian murder victims People murdered in New South Wales People from Wollongong 20th-century Australian politicians Independent members of the Parliament of New South Wales