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A legal advocate today expressed that the appeal made by the boy is a profound insult to the family of Vyleen White, who have been deeply affected by the tragedy. The advocate warned that if the original sentence is not maintained, it could spark widespread outrage within the community.
Despite changes in the law, these were not applied retroactively, and the boy was sentenced in accordance with the state’s former regulations, resulting in a 16-year imprisonment.
The teenager, whose identity remains protected for legal reasons, admitted guilt to the murder and received his sentence in November 2025.
He is expected to be released from prison around his 26th birthday, in late 2033, after completing 60 percent of his sentence, including time already served.
The youth has filed an appeal, arguing that a 16-year sentence is overly harsh for a murder that was not premeditated.
Arguments against the teen’s sentence were an insult, Victims 1st ambassador Lyndy Atkinson said outside court.
“A precedent needed to be set and this was the right precedent to be set,” she said.
Atkinson said the White family were devastated by the appeal.
“They are too traumatised to attend. I think it’s an insult to the family and there will be community outrage if the original sentence is not upheld,” she said.
The sentencing judge had made an error, defence barrister Matthew Hynes told the Court of Appeal justices today.
“This is a case where there is a single stab with fleeting attention,” Hynes said.
Justice David Boddice said a brief moment of intent to kill or cause life-threatening injury that turns fatal was enough for murder.
“That’s the offence, that’s how you get to murder: one moment,” Boddice said.
The teen quickly approached the 70-year-old grandmother and demanded her car keys before inflicting a “non-survivable” 17cm deep knife wound, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said at sentencing.
He did not hesitate before stabbing the grandmother as she held up her hands and backed away.
The boy stole White’s 2009 Hyundai Getz hatchback and drove it to a nearby residential area where he showed it off to other teens.
“The sentence falls well short of being described as being manifestly excessive,” he said.
Bowskill’s sentence was made in the context of community demands for greater protection from violent young criminals and increased knife crime in public.
“It was accepted that this was murder was particularly heinous,” Fuller said.
The three justices reserved their decision.
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