Teenager who fatally stabbed British mother after break-in sentenced to 14 years in prison
A teenager who stabbed a British mum to death after breaking into her home in Australia has been jailed for 14 years.
Emma Lovell, 41, was killed when confronting two intruders in Brisbane on Boxing Day in 2022.
She had moved from Suffolk in 2011 with her daughters and her husband Lee, in the hope of a ‘better life’.
However, the ‘loving family’ was ripped apart after a teenager broke into their home and stabbed the mum to death.
The offender, who cannot legally be named as he was 17 at the time, pleaded guilty to her murder earlier this year.
Emma Lovell emigrated from Suffolk to Queensland in 2011
Emma Lovell and her husband Lee were awoken by barking dogs (Picture: Christina Lofthouse/SWNS)
Now aged 19, he was sentenced at Brisbane’s Supreme Court on Monday afternoon local time.
Originally from Hasketon, Suffolk, Emma Lovell moved to Australia seeking a ‘better life’ for her family, her brother David Angel previously said.
Her attack caused community outrage and was among several which prompted the state of Queensland to controversially introduce stricter youth crime laws.
During sentencing Justice Tom Sullivan said Ms Lovell’s murder was a ‘particularly heinous’ crime.
He said the Lovells had been a ‘loving family’ building a life for themselves in a new country.
He added: ‘They were ordinary citizens enjoying their family life in their home where they were entitled to feel safe. What happened… violated that entirely.’
Christina Lofthouse (left) said her friend Emma (right) had a ‘heart of gold’ (Picture: Christina Lofthouse/SWNS)
Emma Lovell, 41, was stabbed while fighting off two intruders at her home outside Brisbane (Picture: Daily Mail Australia)
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