Lee Lovell fears he’s let wife Emma down in quest for justice

A broken and emotional Lee Lovell has revealed he fears he let his wife Emma down after a second teen linked to her brutal death was acquitted of her murder.

Emma Lovell, pictured with husband Lee Lovell

• The editor: Lovell tragedy must spur action

A broken and emotional Lee Lovell has revealed he fears he let his wife Emma down after a second teen linked to her brutal death was acquitted of her murder.

Since the beloved wife and mother’s death on Boxing Day 2022 - when she was stabbed in the heart on the front lawn of their North Lakes home – sparking national outrage and reigniting the debate on youth crime – he’s been pushing for reform.

“I just didn’t want anyone else to go through what we were going through, or had gone through,” Mr Lovell said.

But on Thursday, when Justice Michael Copley found the teen not guilty of murder and manslaughter, instead finding him guilty of burglary and assault, Mr Lovell said he felt like Emma had been let down and all his campaigning had been for nothing.

“I thought we could push for change or get that message out there a bit more so someone else didn’t have to go through that,” he said.

“I just don’t think whatever I’ve done has (worked).

“I don’t think it really resonated with them (the prior government) too much.

“I just feel that they could have quite easily changed things early on, changed the legislation or whatever, but it seems like they were dragging their heels.”

The first juvenile offender who stabbed Emma was already sentenced to 14 years in jail for murder, but is appealing his sentence.

Now, Mr Lovell just wants to be left alone and spend the time to grieve with his two daughters.

“I don’t know what else I could do to help,” he said.

“The government are the only ones who can really change things, aren’t they, really? They’re the only ones that can change legislation and improve this for other people. So ultimately, it’s on them, isn’t it? I suppose I just want to be left alone again, get on with my life.”

Since the verdict was handed down on Tuesday, Mr Lovell said he was struggling to come to terms with it.

Lee Lovell, after the second teenager charged over the home-invasion murder of south-east Queensland woman Emma Lovell was acquitted by a judge. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Lee Lovell embraces his daughters Kassie and Scarlett after sentencing at the Supreme Court of Qld. Picture: Liam Kidston

“I’m pretty broken, to be honest, and sometimes I just feel pretty numb as well,” he said. “It just feels that like I have to accept it and be at peace with it and move on, because if I don’t, I’ll just be this bitter, angry person for the rest of my life.

“I just don’t think I should have to accept it. I don’t feel that I should have to be at peace with a judgement that I don’t agree with.”

The decision was made on Thursday in a packed courtroom with no spare seats in sight. Within a matter of seconds of sitting down, Justice Copley made his decision, shocking those filling the court into silence – all but one, Emma’s elder daughter Scarlett.

“I think she laughed in court, because I think she was just shocked with the outcome,” Mr Lovell said.

“She’s not exactly, like, bursting into tears. You can tell she’s pretty annoyed with what happened.

“But what do you say to her? What do you say to your kids?

“Like, when you know, the first guy got 14 years and then the second one’s been acquitted of it. You want them to feel there’s been justice for their mum, but it doesn’t really feel that way.”

Mr Lovell said as soon as Scarlett walked out of the room, she expressed her dismay to Crown Prosecutor David Nardone.

“We went to an interview room as soon as we came out of court, and the first thing, before anyone said anything, it was her,” he said.

When Justice Copley, made his decision, he kept it brief, as the decisions would be published, leaving Mr Lovell angered.

“I was a bit annoyed that you can’t even give us the time of day to go through – I’m not saying you go word-for-word what you’ve written down, but you can give some explanation, rather than, murder, not guilty and manslaughter not guilty,” he said.

“Let’s not forget the fact that Emma is dead out of this, and she would not be dead if it wasn’t sort of all those two people involved in it.”

Now that the court cases, are almost wrapped up, Mr Lovell said he had considered leaving to go back to the UK – where his family are from – but has decided to stay put in Brisbane where he made his home.

“I spoke to my parents on the weekend, and they said they seem to think that, like, things aren’t too great over there,” he said.

“So both of them were like, just nice, stay where you are, you know, better where you are.”

But Mr Lovell says he will forever live with the consequences of that night in 2022, replaying in his mind exactly what happened.

“I keep thinking, why did I act in the way I did?” he said.

“You sort of blame yourself because of the outcome, I would never have tried to get them out of house if I’d have known they had a knife.

“That’s pretty hard to accept, that ‘what if’, but then I suppose you got to realise that the outcome is never going to change. However much you think or you want to change something, ultimately Emma’s dead at the end of it. We’ve got to live with those consequences.”

He said it had been tough watching news stories about other home invasions.

“How come it went so wrong for Emma and I?” he said. “Everyone else gets to live and she doesn’t.”

Originally published as Lee Lovell fears he’s let wife Emma down in quest for justice