00:00In 2021, two 15-year-old intruders broke into the Kefu home in Kooperoo armed with a sickle
00:09and a knife. When confronted by Mr Kefu, his wife and their two adult children,
00:14the family members were stabbed and slashed. The two offenders pleaded guilty to several
00:20offences last year and were sentenced to seven years and eight years respectively,
00:24with 50% of that to be served in custody. No convictions were recorded. At the time,
00:31the then Attorney General launched an appeal and at a hearing earlier this year argued the
00:36sentences were manifestly inadequate on a number of grounds. This included that the sentencing judge
00:42failed to have regard to the maximum penalty for some of the offences, which were deemed
00:47particularly heinous. Under Queensland laws at the time, this meant the teenagers could face a
00:52punishment of more than 10 years and up to and including life in prison. Today, three court
00:58of appeal judges dismissed the legal challenge, saying prosecutors had failed to establish any
01:03legal errors made by the sentencing judge. They found the punishment was appropriate when all
01:09the particulars of the offending were taken into consideration and in comparison to similar cases.
01:16Neighbour Ben Cannon, who was also injured in the incident by one of the juveniles,
01:20says the decision is disappointing. There's no way that that sits anywhere near the expectations of
01:28the broader community. Once again, the criminals are protected by the system. Both teens spent three
01:34years in detention before their sentencing. One has already been released. The other is due to get
01:40out in August.
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