EVERY day Nikita Sandford cries. She sheds tears for the father she never knew and for the lies that shrouded the first 13 years of her life.
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It’s about time someone came forward and cleared their conscience.
- Nikita Sandford
For 24 years, the four children of Anthony Prebble have not known what drove people to abduct, bash and murder their father.
Although she never knew her father, Ms Sandford has vivid nightmares of her father’s death. She wakes up screaming.
“I was eight-years-old when my mum first told me my step-dad wasn’t my dad. I sat in the car and screamed,” Ms Sandford said.
When she gave birth to her only son Sebastian, she became determined to find out the details of the mystery that has plagued her life.
Mr Prebble was mixed up in drugs. His son Bryan Prebble admits he “was no angel, but he always looked after us kids alright”.
Mr Prebble, also the father to Kevin and Dayle Prebble, went missing on March 19, 1992. His body was found days later dumped in the Creswick State Forest. The accused faced court, but were never convicted.
Reports in The Courier at the time reveal Mr Prebble’s body was discovered by a passersby on a gravel track off Codes Road, near White Swan Reserve, days after he had been abducted.
A white Commodore, that Mr Prebble was transported in, was found in Vincent Street in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick days later.
Coroners reports showed Mr Prebble was viciously assaulted with a baseball bat and died from those brutal injuries. Every bone in his body was broken.
Mr Prebble’s mother lives in a nursing home. She has Alzheimers. Her son’s unsolved murder undoubtedly impacted her life.
“I know that she had photos of every person in the family who had passed away,” Ms Sandford said. “She gave him a kiss every day.” For Ms Sandford the pain of being lied to is a daily reality. “I thought ‘how could you not tell me?’. I really want some justice. I have so many unanswered questions.”
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the investigation into Mr Prebble’s murder remained open. Ms Sandford is pleading for someone to come forward. She did not even know her father’s death date until she found an old copy of The Courier with police reports at her grandmother’s house. “We want answers so that we can close the doors and not feel that emotion that we feel everyday. It’s about time someone came forward and cleared their conscience.” Call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
