Teen who murdered grandmother in car park tries to appeal sentence
A teenager’s attempt to appeal his sentence for the murder of a Queensland grandmother has failed.
Vyleen White was stabbed during a carjacking outside a shopping center in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, in February 2024.
The case sparked community outrage and led to the introduction of controversial “adult crime, adult time” laws. The laws were not retroactive.
The teenager, who was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
His legal team appealed the sentence, arguing that 16 years was excessive for an unintentional murder.
On Friday the Court of Appeal refused permission to appeal the sentence.
News of the appeal was devastated to White’s family; a lawyer had previously said this was an insult to them.
On Friday, White’s daughter, Julie Ryan, said: “I don’t think my mother’s life meant much in the eyes of our system.
“We as victims certainly don’t make much sense with the difficulties we continue to endure.”
In the ruling, Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said that moments before White was killed, the 70-year-old quickly approached him and demanded his car keys before stabbing him.
The wound was 17 centimeters deep.
She didn’t hesitate before stabbing him as he raised his white hands and stepped back.
He then stole his Hyundai Getz.
CCTV footage shows how the murder took place in front of the eyes of a little girl running to call for help.
The chief judge described the teenager’s actions as callous and cowardly, made worse by the fact that White was a defenseless woman.
The teenager is likely to be released in late 2033 after serving 60 percent of his sentence.
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Cloe Read is the Brisbane Times’ crime and courts reporter.Connect with: X or email.
