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A teenager who demanded a grandmother’s car keys before callously stabbing the defenceless woman to death – inflicting a knife wound 17 centimetres deep – has failed in a bid to have his sentence reduced.
He had not hesitated before stabbing Vyleen White outside an Ipswich shopping centre in February 2024, the woman holding up her hands and trying to back away.
CCTV footage revealed she was murdered in front of a little girl, who rushed to get help.
The teen then drove off in White’s Hyundai Getz.
The case sparked community outrage, and prompted controversial “adult crime, adult time” laws to be passed. The laws were not retroactive.
The teenager, who was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, received a 16-year jail term.
His legal team appealed against the sentence, claiming 16 years was excessive for a non-premeditated murder.
On Friday, the Court of Appeal refused leave to appeal the sentence.
News of the appeal had devastated White’s family, with an advocate earlier saying it was an insult to them.
On Friday, White’s daughter Julie Ryan said: “I feel like mum’s life didn’t really mean much in the eyes of our system.
“We, as victims, certainly don’t mean much with the hardships we continue to endure.”
Moments before White was murdered, the 70-year-old had been approached quickly by the teenager, who demanded her car keys before stabbing her, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said at the sentencing.
The chief justice described the teenager’s actions as callous and cowardly, and made worse by the fact White was a defenceless woman.
The teenager was likely to be released in late 2033, after serving 60 per cent of his sentence.
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Cloe Read is the crime and court reporter at Brisbane Times.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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