Former chauffeur Gordon Wood sentenced to spend at least 13 years in jail.

One of the most high-profile murder trials in recent years has ended in a packed Sydney courtroom today, with the former chauffeur Gordon Wood sentenced to spend at least 13 years in jail.Wood was convicted of killing his girlfriend, Sydney model Caroline Byrne, whose body was found at a notorious suicide spot in 1995.Police initially assumed she had killed herself, but were later persuaded to reopen the case and two years ago Gordon Wood was extradited from Britain to face trial for murder. Gordon Wood is a cool character, he tends to keep his emotions to himself and that's how he remained today. He showed no emotion when the judge announced a maximum 17 year jail term, he'll have to spend at least 13 years in jail, including some time already served when he was arrested in Britain before being extradited to Australia. He'll be first due for parole in October 2021.Now Wood did show some emotion though when he walked in and out of the dock. The courtroom was packed, about 100 people there, this is quite extraordinary, more than half of them appeared to be his supporters.On mass they stood up as he walked into the dock and they stood up when he walked out, as though he was the judge.

Gordon Wood agreed to be extradited from London to face charges that he had murdered his girlfriend, model Caroline Byrne. It's a case that has fascinated the public with its links to the rich and famous and the tragic death of a beautiful girl. It's been 11 years since Miss Byrne's body was found at the bottom of a 30-metre cliff at the The Gap in Sydney's east. It's a notorious suicide spot and in June 1995 it was believed the 24-year-old was another tragic statistic. Ms Byrne's father never believed that his daughter committed suicide and has campaigned continually to have the case keep open.