Two men have been found guilty over the death of Lynette Daley, whose naked body was found bruised and bloodied after a boozy 2011 camping trip to a remote beach in northern New South Wales.

Key points: Adrian Attwater and Paul Maris had long been suspects in Lynette Daly's 2011 death

Adrian Attwater and Paul Maris had long been suspects in Lynette Daly's 2011 death A Four Corners story in May 2016 prompted an independent review of the DPP decision not to prosecute the men

A Four Corners story in May 2016 prompted an independent review of the DPP decision not to prosecute the men The men were charged the following month

After listening to weeks of evidence and cross-examination, a jury at the Supreme Court in Coffs Harbour deliberated for just 32 minutes before convicting Adrian Attwater, who was Ms Daley's boyfriend, and Paul Maris.

Attwater, 42, was found guilty of manslaughter and 47-year-old Maris was found guilty of hindering the collection of evidence by burning a blood-soaked mattress and an item of Ms Daley's clothing.

Both men were also found guilty of aggravated sexual assault.

Ms Daley, a 33-year-old mother of seven, was with Attwater and Maris on an alcohol-fuelled camping trip at the isolated Ten Mile Beach north of Yamba on Australia Day 2011.

The jury was told Attwater performed a violent sex act causing his intoxicated girlfriend to die from blunt force genital tract trauma.

He then waited many hours before asking Maris to call an ambulance.

'It's so great to hear those words'

Outside court, Ms Daley's stepfather Gordon Davis said the speed of the verdict had surprised him.

"It's so great to hear those words, you know, 'guilty, guilty' because the bastards are guilty," he said.

During the trial, Crown prosecutor Philip Strickland SC told the court Ms Daley had lacerations in and around her vagina.

The men claimed Ms Daley died of a seizure during a swim the next morning, but the Crown said she bled to death from a sexual act she did not consent to, and the men waited too long before calling an ambulance.

Adrian Attwater (L) and Paul Maris have been found guilty of aggravated sexual assault. ( AAP: Dave Hunt )

Four Corners investigation influential

The NSW Director of Public Prosecutions twice declined to prosecute the two long-time suspects in Ms Daley's death — decisions her family and supporters criticised.

In 2011, Attwater was charged with manslaughter over her death, and Maris was charged with being an accessory, but the charges were later dropped.

In 2014, coroner Michael Barnes recommended charges be laid but again the DPP would not prosecute, saying there was insufficient evidence.

However, a Four Corners report in May 2016 was a significant milestone in the investigation.

That story prompted an independent review of the DPP's decision not to prosecute the two suspects.

They were charged the following month.

At the time, then-NSW attorney-general Gabrielle Upton said the death of Ms Daley was "truly awful".

'Never give up'

After the verdict, Mr Davis thanked Four Corners and several hardworking police officers, saying without them the men would never have been convicted.

"It's been hard. We thought we wouldn't get anywhere, but we never gave up," he said.

"We just pushed and pushed and kept trotting and treading around and it worked in the end. Never give up, no matter what happens."

The sentencing for Attwater and Maris will begin on November 3.

"We feel vindicated. You know, in the end justice won and that's all it is," Mr Davis said.



The interior of a car investigated after the death of Lynette Daley. ( Supplied )

In her closing address in the trial, Justice Elizabeth Fullerton told the jury that the level of Ms Daley's intoxication underpinned the question of whether or not she was able to give consent.

The jury heard expert evidence that Ms Daley's ability to make decisions would have been very severely impaired.

The post-mortem found she had a blood alcohol level of higher than 0.3 — six times the legal driving limit — and a potential fatal level for an average drinker.

Mr Strickland said that during the sexual encounter Ms Daley’s blood alcohol level could have been as high as 0.46.