People Australia

David Lane's death sentence was commuted to life transportation. He arrived at Sydney aboard the Queen in September 1791 as part of the Third Fleet. By 1796 he was working as a servant for John Fendlow at Mulgrave Place in the Hawkesbury region.

Lane was killed by Fendlow after Lane attempted to sexually assault Fendlow's partner Eleanor Byrnes. Byrnes testified that the three of them had been drinking spirits on a boat on 4 July and that she had gone up to the house where Land had tried to 'lay with her'. She had struggled with him, Fendlow had come in, saw what has happening and had shot Lane dead during a struggle. Fenlow later confessed that the murder was premeditated.