Emma Lovell: Queensland AG lodges High Court challenge after killer teen’s sentence slashed on appeal
Queensland’s Attorney-General will lodge an appeal to the highest court in Australia over a court decision to reduce the sentence of a teen who fatally stabbed a mum-of-two on Boxing Day.
Emma Lovell, 41, died from a fatal stab wound after two teenagers — then aged 17 — broke into her North Lakes home on December 26, 2022.
One of the teenagers was jailed for 14 years after pleading guilty to murder.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.At the time, he was ordered to serve 60 per cent of his sentence — or eight years and five months’ — after the judge found the murder was “particularly heinous”.
But in August Queensland’s Court of Appeal reduced the killer’s non-parole period after determining the murder should never have been classified this way.
The ruling resulted in the killer’s time in custody being cut by more than 20 months.
On Monday, Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said an application for special leave to appeal the judgment had been lodged with the High Court of Australia.
Ms Frecklington said she had spoken with Ms Lovell’s widower, Lee, about the government’s “commitment to do all we can to ensure the murderer who took Emma’s life is held accountable”.
“The challenge we face is this offending happened under Labor’s weak laws - and now, because of Labor’s weak laws, this teenager could be out of detention even sooner,” she said.
“Our first act in Government was to deliver stronger youth justice laws and under the Crisafulli Government’s Adult Crime, Adult Time laws, this murderer would have been sentenced to life in prison.”
Ms Lovell’s death sparked outrage in the wider community and sparked renewed calls for a wider crackdown on high profile youth crime across the state.
Family CCTV captured the teens entering through the Lovell’s unlocked front door on the morning of the incident.
The Lovells brawled with the intruders, leading to the primary offender stabbing Ms Lovell in the chest and puncturing her heart.
Mr Lovell was also stabbed and kicked by the same child.
The second teenager, who did not inflict the fatal wound, was found not guilty of murder, the alternative count of manslaughter and a charge of malicious act with intent following a judge-only Supreme Court trial in October 2024.
He pleaded guilty to assault and burglary and walked from court in December that same year with time already served.
Originally published as Qld Attorney-General lodges High Court challenge after killer teen’s sentence slashed on appeal
