A teenager who stabbed a British woman to death in Australia has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for murder.
Mother-of-two Emma Lovell, 41, was attacked over the Boxing Day holiday in 2022 by two teenage boys who broke into her home in North Lakes, Queensland, police say.
Lovell and her husband confronted the two boys, following which the boys attacked them. Later, the said woman died following being stabbed in the heart.
The Brisbane Supreme Court sentenced the young attacker on Monday. He is now 19 years old but will not be named because he was a minor at the time of the crime.
Justice Tom Sullivan said the killing of the British woman was a ‘particularly heinous’ crime.
The judge described the victims as a ‘lovely family’ who were trying to settle in a new country.
Justice Sullivan said: ‘They were ordinary citizens enjoying a family life in their own home where they were entitled to feel safe. What happened was a complete violation of this basic human right.’
Lovell and her husband Lee moved to Brisbane from Suffolk in 2011 with their daughters. Her husband was also injured in the attack.
The teenager confessed to the murder in March this year. He also confessed to the charges of tunneling and assault.
Another accused who has been charged in the case is yet to file a reply in court. His case will be heard later this month.
The knife attack was carried out outside the home of the victim’s family, which was recorded on CCTV. Video footage of the incident was shown to people in the courtroom, including Lovell’s two daughters, her husband and others.
The court was told the couple were alerted by dogs barking at their home in the suburb of North Lakes, regarding 45 kilometers (30 miles) north of Brisbane.
Outside the garden, Lovell was stabbed in the heart with an 11.5 cm knife. Police arrived at the scene and found their two teenage daughters crying and calling for help. Later, medical staff performed a heart operation on the woman’s front lawn.
Lovell died shortly following being taken to the hospital.
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The woman’s death sparked widespread outrage in Australia and eventually led to the state of Queensland passing tougher laws once morest juvenile delinquency.
Under Queensland law, juveniles convicted of offenses can generally be ordered to serve a maximum of 70 per cent of their sentence, unless there are special circumstances to the contrary.
Justice Sullivan said the young man’s offense fell into the category of a violent act, which meant he might have been jailed for more than 10 years.
He said that ‘in this case it is correct to describe the crime as heinous and as such which was intended to cause outrage among the common people.’
Lee Lovell, who called for the teenager to be sentenced to life in prison, said he welcomed Monday’s verdict. However, he said that this is not justice as nothing will bring back his wife.
He said: ‘No, I don’t think justice has been done. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, although it is more than he expected.’
‘I think a 14-year sentence would have been good, but that will never be enough. Emma will never come back from this.’
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2024-07-16 00:03:45
