A triple murderer who killed a judge, another judge's wife and a church-goer in acts of revenge, has died while serving prison time for his "calculated, violent and hateful" crimes.
Dubbed the Family Court bomber, Leonard Warwick, 78, died at Sydney's Long Bay Hospital on Friday, a Corrective Services NSW spokeswoman confirmed.
He had been serving three life terms without parole for the 1980s slaying of Justice David Opas, Pearl Watson - wife of Justice Raymond Watson - and church-goer Graham Wykes.
The retired firefighter, motivated by revenge, waged a campaign of extreme violence against those he believed acted adversely towards him in his drawn-out dispute with his ex-wife Andrea Blanchard.
Warwick shot Justice Opas when he answered the doorbell as his family sat down to dinner.
He was the first judge to deal with Warwick's Family Court case and made adverse rulings against him.
Mrs Watson was killed as she was saying goodbye to her husband when a bomb exploded at the front door of their Sydney home.
Justice Watson had taken over Warwick's case and also made numerous orders adverse to the killer.
In a final act of "unspeakable evil", Warwick sought to wreak revenge on innocent members of the Jehovah's Witnesses after some congregation members offered support to his ex-wife.
So he set off a bomb at their hall that killed Mr Wykes and hospitalised 71 people, 13 of whom were severely injured.
Warwick was found guilty in the NSW Supreme Court of 20 offences relating to six Sydney events between February 1980 and July 1985.
His crimes were described by sentencing judge Peter Garling as "an attack on the very foundations of Australian democracy".
"The conduct of the offender was calculated, violent and hateful," Justice Garling said at the time.
As well as the three murders, Warwick was found to have bombed Justice Richard Gee's home with intent to murder him, bombed the court building at Parramatta and placed a car bomb at the previous home of his ex-wife's solicitor.
Justice Garling said each of the offences involved sophisticated planning, preparation and careful conduct, while the three murders involved extreme culpability.
Warwick's death will be investigated by a coroner, as is always the case for deaths in custody.
