A teenager convicted of murdering 70-year-old grandmother Vyleen White in a violent carjacking at a Redbank Plains shopping centre has appealed his 16-year detention sentence, arguing it is unjust and manifestly excessive.
The now 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to his age at the time of the offence, fatally stabbed Ms White in the chest in February 2024. The attack occurred in the underground car park of the Town Square Redbank Plains shopping centre in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, as the grandmother attempted to defend herself during an attempted theft of her car keys.
CCTV footage shown to the court captured the teenager approaching Ms White and demanding her keys before stabbing her once in the chest. The wound, described during sentencing as a 17-centimetre-deep injury to the heart, proved fatal. Ms White raised her hands and attempted to back away before being attacked.
After the stabbing, the teenager fled in Ms White’s 2009 Hyundai Getz, later driving to a nearby residential area where he showed the stolen vehicle to friends before abandoning it. Prosecutors told the court he intended to use the car in further robberies.
Ms White, described in court as a kind, caring and devoted grandmother, died at the scene. Her death left behind devastated family members, including children and grandchildren.
The teenager pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced in the Brisbane Supreme Court in November 2025 to 16 years’ detention. Under the original sentencing order, he would become eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of the term, about nine years and seven months.
However, court documents indicate that with time already served and adjustments to parole calculations, the offender could be released from custody as early as late 2033, around the time of his 26th birthday, after serving roughly 60 per cent of the sentence.
Sentencing judge Chief Justice Helen Bowskill said the crime had caused “immense, indeed catastrophic, pain and suffering” to Ms White’s family.
“She was by all accounts a kind, caring, loving and devoted mother and grandmother,” the judge said during sentencing.
The sentence was widely criticised by Ms White’s family, who said it was too lenient given the circumstances of the killing. The case also became a catalyst for Queensland’s controversial “adult crime, adult time” youth justice reforms, which now require juveniles convicted of murder to serve at least 20 years in custody. The laws were not applied retroactively and did not affect the teenager’s sentence.
The appeal was heard on Tuesday in the Queensland Court of Appeal before President Justice Debra Mullins and Justices John Bond and David Boddice.
Defence barrister Matthew Hynes argued the 16-year term was excessive for what he described as a non-premeditated killing involving a single stab wound during a “fleeting” moment of intent.
“This is a case where there is a single stab with fleeting attention,” Hynes told the court.
However, prosecutors rejected that argument. Director of Public Prosecutions Todd Fuller told the court the sentence was appropriate given the deliberate nature of the attack captured on CCTV.
The footage showed the teenager approaching the 70-year-old woman, demanding her car keys and inflicting what the court described as a “non-survivable” wound without hesitation as she tried to retreat.
Justice David Boddice noted during the hearing that even a brief moment of intent to kill or cause life-threatening injury is sufficient to meet the legal threshold for murder.
“That’s the offence, that’s how you get to murder: one moment,” Justice Boddice said.
Victims 1st ambassador Lyndy Atkinson said the appeal had further traumatised Ms White’s grieving family.
“They are too traumatised to attend,” she said outside court. “I think it’s an insult to the family and there will be community outrage if the original sentence is not upheld.”
The Court of Appeal has reserved its decision, with a ruling expected at a later date.
