But, she said the teenager did not stop to check on his victim, and instead moved to steal her car.
The chief justice said the young girl was scared, but remarkably brave. She ran up the escalators to look for help.
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White was unable to be saved, after she suffered a wound of 17 centimetres. Upon hearing this, several members of White’s family cried in court.
“Your actions were callous and cowardly. They are made even worse by the fact that you attacked a defenceless woman,” Bowskill said, adding that White should have been able to feel safe.
White’s family, including her husband, Victor, and her daughters, had told the court on Wednesday morning how her death had haunted them, and they had struggled with the devastation of losing her.
Her death sent shockwaves through the community, and sparked outrage over juvenile offenders, as the LNP pushed for harsher penalties for young criminals.
At the start of the teenager’s sentencing, the court heard how a young girl saw White being stabbed and rushed to get help.
“When I saw the man I felt very scared,” Crown Prosecutor Chris Cook read on behalf of the girl. “After that, sometimes I feel unsafe when I go to that place … Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep, I worry that I will have bad dreams.”
Cook said the killer had been with a group of youths earlier in the day, who had been drinking near the shopping centre. He left alone, carrying a knife and wearing a surgical mask covering his face, the court was told.
The teenager entered the shopping centre’s car park intent on stealing a car, Cook said.
“He stabbed her, and he didn’t hesitate.”
Bowskill said the teenager committed the crime while he was on bail for other crimes, which was an aggravating factor.
Flowers and tributes left at the Redbank Plains shopping centre where Vyleen White died.Credit: Nine News
The court heard the teenager was affiliated with a criminal gang in the Ipswich area, and had carried a knife as a misguided form of protection. Bowskill said he had previously reported that offending gave him a thrill.
He told a psychologist that he was intoxicated on the day he killed White, which Bowskill said was no excuse. He reported after her death that he had no memory of stabbing White, and he essentially blacked out, Bowskill said.
Cook had submitted if the crime was determined to be particularly heinous, a sentence of 17 to 18 years could be imposed. The teenager’s barrister, Matthew Hynes, told the court a sentence of 12 to 13 years was appropriate.
“Adult time, adult crime” law changes would not apply to the teenager’s case, Bowskill said.
The killer was convicted for murder, and would be eligible for release after serving 60 per cent of the time.
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