Man who assaulted Lauren Huxley, doused her in petrol and left her for dead is denied parole two decades after the attack that shocked Australia

By KYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:43, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 04:58, 28 May 2026 The man who assaulted and tied up a Sydney teen who was then doused in petrol in her home will remain behind bars. Lauren Huxley, then 18, suffered life-changing injuries, including permanent brain damage, when she was ambushed by Robert Black Farmer, 39, in her Northmead home in November 2005. The TAFE student was left lying in a pool of blood and petrol in the garage as Farmer set the family home alight and fled the scene. Farmer was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison in 2008, which included a 20-year non-parole period. It meant that he was first be eligible for release on July 31. But that was rejected by the NSW State Parole Authority at a closed-door session on Thursday. The decision comes just days after Ms Huxley, now, 39, expressed her fears that her attacker would back on the streets within weeks. 'It scares me for sure,' she told A Current Affair. 'Not just for myself, my family and friends, but also the general public. Because you don't know ... what is he capable of doing next.' Lauren Huxley suffered life-changing injuries when she was attacked and doused in petrol by a stranger in her Northmead home Robert Black Farmer has spent the last two decades behind bars, where he will remain Lauren Huxley (wearing sunglasses) was pictured leaving court after her attacker was sentenced No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.