A teenager who broke into the home of a British mother alongside another boy who stabbed her to death has been released despite being convicted for his role in the deadly home invasion.
Emma Lovell, 41, was knifed down outside her property near Brisbane on the night of December 26, 2022, during a home invasion carried out by two 17-year-old boys.
CCTV captured both teenagers brawling with Mrs Lovell and her husband before the fight spilled onto the family home’s driveway, where one of the attackers stabbed her in the chest.
The assailant who inflicted the fatal wound pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced to 14 years in jail.
However, his co-accused was cleared of murder and was instead convicted of burglary and assault occasioning bodily harm in company during a judge-only trial in October.
The now-19-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also charged with a string of other offences committed in the months leading up to the break in, including raids on other homes.
Justice Michael Copley sentenced him to 18 months’ detention. He was released upon sentencing on Wednesday after spending almost two years in detention awaiting the verdict.
Emma’s husband Lee shared frustration at what he said was a lenient sentence for the teenager, arguing that he should have faced the same sentence as hi co-offender.
Emma Lovell died after being stabbed by a teenager during a home invasion in North Lakes on Boxing Day 2022
The teenager who inflicted the fatal wound on Ms Lovell (left with her husband Lee) was jailed for 14 years after pleading guilty to her murder
CCTV captured the Lovells brawling with the teen intruders when they entered their unlocked home north of Brisbane in the early hours of December 26, 2022.
Lee Lovell arrives at the Brisbane Supreme Court in Brisbane, Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Mr and Mrs Lovell, who are both British, moved to Australia from Ipswich in 2011 after first visiting the country in 2002.
‘Australia was supposed to be our dream come to life, but I can’t help feeling completely let down and broken,’ Mr Lovell said in court on Wednesday.
The father-of-two said his daughters’ lives would never be the same again and revealed he is now considering moving his family back to the UK.
‘I feel like Boxing Day 2022 was like a sliding door moment for us,’ he said as he addressed the teenage offender in court.
‘Our life should have been going in one direction and yet, here I am, because of the actions of you and your co-offender taking away my family’s right to expect peace, security and safety within our family home.
‘Now I am forced to play a role: the role of a grieving husband, a victim of assault and father, trying to make his family feel safe in our home again.’
The prosecution had sought up to 12 months’ probation upon the release of the young offender out of concern for the community’s safety.
Crown Prosecutor David Nardone cited his ‘fairly lengthy criminal history’ of more than 100 offences, The Guardian reports, including other instances of home break ins.
The teenager’s defence barrister argued that he had expressed ‘remorse and concern about the consequences of the break and enter at the Lovell residence’ and was trying to turn his life around.
The judge also noted that he had experienced a turbulent home life, being raised in a house rife with drug use and domestic violence, and that his father had been in and out of prison.
‘None of this excuses your offending, but it puts it into a broader context,’ Justice Copley said.
In his judgment, Supreme Court Justice Michael Copley revealed the words ‘I’ll kill you’ could be heard in audio from the CCTV of the incident, along with the word ‘stop’ being yelled repeatedly, reported The Australian.
Mr Lovell called his late wife ‘beautiful, amazing’ and said he regularly broke down in tears due to the pain of losing her
A grief-stricken Lee Lovell seen speaking to reporters after a judge found the second teenager involved in the break-in not guilty of his wife’s murder. Picture: NewsWire
The legal team of the teenager who was sentenced today argued that their client was the one who shouted ‘stop’ during the attack.
The court heard how Mr and Mrs Lovell had attempted to fend off the intruders after they had been woken by their dogs barking at about 11.30pm on Boxing Day 2022.
Mr Lovell was also stabbed during a ‘physical struggle directly outside the front door’ which then moved to the front lawn, where his wife was fatally stabbed.
Emma, originally from Hasketon, moved to Australia to have a ‘better life’ for her family, according to her brother David Angel, who spoke to the BBC.
The couple and their daughters Kassie and Scarlett, then 14 and 15, celebrated Christmas Day 2022 by eating a special meal at the local beach.
Her husband wrote in a Facebook post on Christmas Day 2022, the day before she died: ‘So for the first time in 11 years we spent Christmas day on the beach and even managed to cook up some bacon and eggs!’
Mrs Lovell, her husband and their two daughters, Kassie and Scarlett, then 14 and 15 (pictured), celebrated Christmas Day 2022 by eating a special meal at the local beach.
‘Hope everyone has a great Christmas Day spent with loved ones and friends.’
Hours after the post – when the family had returned home to their bungalow in North Lakes, Brisbane – they woke up to find intruders in the hallway.
Mr Lovell had just forced one of the men out of the house when he heard his daughter say ‘mummy’s bleeding’.
‘I remember thinking at the time, ”I can’t die, I can’t leave the kids orphans”’, he recalled.
Mr Lovell called his late wife ‘beautiful, amazing’ and said he regularly broke down in tears due to the pain of losing her.
‘Emma was the glue in our family, she was funny, smart, so caring, would do anything for anyone,’ Mr Lovell previously told Daily Mail Australia.
‘She died trying to protect me and our family.’