Teen thug who fatally stabbed grandmother, 70, in Qld shopping car park loses appeal over murder sentence

A teen who stabbed a Queensland grandmother to death in a shopping centre car park so he could steal her car has lost an appeal over his 16-year sentence.

The boy was just 16 when he stabbed Vyleen White, 70, in the heart at Ipswich’s Redbank Plains shopping centre car park, before stealing her car, in 2024.

Ms White was walking into the centre with her granddaughter when she was approached by the boy, who was armed a knife.

When the boy demanded Ms White’s car keys, she took a few steps back with her hands raised.

The boy plunged a knife in Ms White’s chest leaving her with a 17cm deep wound through her heart.

She collapsed to the ground, while the boy took her car keys and fled.

The teen challenged his sentence, arguing it was the harshest jail term imposed on a 16-year-old for a fatal stabbing.

In a published judgment, Queensland’s Court of Appeal found a 16-year sentence was not unjust or unreasonable in the context of the teen’s offending.

“A sentence of 16 years detention for the applicant’s offending fell within a sound exercise of the sentencing discretion,” the judges noted.

“The applicant’s offending involved the striking of a victim who plainly was retreating and not pursuing him.

“It also involved a deliberate use of the knife, rather than a lashing out.

“Once regard is had to those circumstances, the imposition of 16 years detention for the offence of murder was neither plainly unjust nor unreasonable.”

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told media while the teen’s appeal loss would please the family, his sentence fell short of what it should be.

“I make the point, if this had happened under Adult Crime, Adult Time, it would have been minimum mandatory life,” he said.

“And I don’t reckon there’s too many Queenslanders who don’t think that is a more appropriate penalty than the one that’s been dished out with the appeal upheld.”