Vyleen White murder: Teen handed 16 years jail for killing defenceless grandmother
A “strong young man” who murdered a grandmother before stealing her car has been slammed as a selfish coward by Queensland’s Chief Justice.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named due to his age, stabbed Vyleen White in the heart on February 3 last year, while she was going to the Redbank Plains shopping center with her grandchild.
As Mrs White collapsed, the child ran away with her car keys.
The teenager appeared in the Queensland Supreme Court on Thursday, where he was sentenced to 16 years in prison by Chief Justice Helen Bowskill after pleading guilty to murder.
The court was told the boy wore a surgical mask and drank vodka with friends at the center and stole items.
At around 6pm the teenage killer approached Ms White and her six-year-old grandson in the centre’s car park and demanded their keys.
When the boy stabbed her once and fled in his car, she raised her hands and took a few steps back.
The court was told he was looking for a car to use in further robberies.
Judge Bowskill said despite the young girl’s “brave” efforts to raise the alarm and help her grandmother, Ms White died at the scene.
“Your actions that evening, which cost another person’s life, caused his family enormous, even catastrophic, pain and suffering,” the judge said.
“She was a kind, caring, loving and devoted mother and grandmother in every way.”
Judge Bowskill said Ms White’s life was important and not something to be wasted in senseless and selfish acts of violence.
“The depiction of Ms. White stepping back with her hands up reveals a defenseless woman who poses no threat to you, a tall young man, over 6 feet tall, moving with determination,” he said.
“Your actions were callous and cowardly.”
The judge rejected the claim that the crime occurred “in a moment of madness” or that he “fainted.”
The boy, who arrived with his loving family from South Sudan in 2007, had difficulty adjusting after his family moved from Canberra to Ipswich, the court was told. Cut off from his family, the teenager soon fell into a criminal gang and began to feel “valued and accepted” by them.
The court was told the Queensland Government’s adult time laws did not apply to adult offenses for the offense, which occurred in February last year. These laws came into effect in December.
He will be released from detention after serving 60 percent of his sentence, or just under ten years.
Victor White told the court on Wednesday that losing his partner of 50 years, Vyleen, had robbed him of his future.
“I live knowing my life will never be the same,” he wrote.
“This crime has broken me and my family in ways words can never fully express.”
