Attorney-General concedes some serious repeat offenders beyond ‘rehabilitation’

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has made a major concession when it comes to some serious repeat offenders, following the revelation Angus Beaumont’s teenage killer faces a new attempted murder charge as an adult.

Angus Beaumont, who was stabbed in the heart at Humpybong Park in Redcliffe about 8.10pm on March 13, 2020. Photo Steve Pohlner

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has conceded that some serious repeat offenders are simply beyond “rehabilitation”.

It comes after a young man convicted over the stabbing death of Angus Beaumont was earlier this week charged with attempted murder less than a year after he was released from custody.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday Ms D’Ath said: “any offending is serious and certainly these alleged offences are extremely serious”.

“I can’t comment on the individual and their supports since they were released, that is not something I’m responsible for, but we know that we need to be supporting young people,” she said.

“We need to be preventing them from committing offences in the first place but when they do find themselves in the justice system, what we can do to actually divert them away

“If they do end up being sentenced and serving time in a detention centre, what we can do while they’re in the centres to help them actually rehabilitate, and what we can do to support them.”

Asked whether the justice system had failed in this instance, Ms D’Ath said: “If we take that example to talk about the system and whether it’s working or not, that is something that has occurred over all of our lifetimes”.

“The fact is, sometimes people reoffend no matter how good the system, no matter who’s in government, no matter what they claim, the fact is not everybody can be rehabilitated,” she said.

“They serve their time, they come out and you hope they’ve been rehabilitated, you hope they’ve learnt from that … but at the end of the day, we don’t control the decisions that an individual makes.

“We can hold them to account for those decisions but the fact is, there is not one place in the world where they have eradicated someone from reoffending that’s just not realistic.

“But we have to do everything to try to prevent and also to intervene, so they don’t.”

Angus was stabbed in the heart at Humpybong Park in Redcliffe about 8.10pm on March 13, 2020. He died in hospital soon after.

A Logan man was sentenced in February, aged 18, to five-and-a-half years’ detention for the stabbing manslaughter of 15-year-old Angus.

It’s understood he was released about the same time, after serving half the sentence.

Now, aged 19, he has returned to court charged with attempted murder over an incident alleged to have occurred just six months after his release.

It’s alleged the defendant, along with two co-accused, forcibly entered a home at Zillmere in Brisbane’s north on Monday while armed with a handgun.

Once inside, it’s alleged a confrontation took place with a 21-year-old Strathpine man, during which the handgun was discharged a number of times.

The three co-accused allegedly fled the scene in a white station wagon.

The man previously convicted of killing Angus then allegedly drove at speeds of 190km/h on the Gateway Motorway at Murarrie.

Police allege the men were all known to each other.

No one was physically injured.

The three co-accused were taken into custody and charged on August 21.

They are each charged with one count each of attempt to murder, carry weapon in public place while loaded or capable of being discharged, face masked with intent commit indictable offence, enter dwelling with intent by break uses/threatens violence while armed in company damages property, going armed so as to cause fear, unlawful possession of a category D/H/R weapon, threatening violence – discharge firearms or other act, dangerous conduct with weapon, and wilful damage.

The man convicted of killing Angus is also charged with one count each of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, disobeying the speed limit, learner must not drive motor vehicle unless L-plates displayed and clearly legible, and learning to drive must be properly supervised.

The three men’s matters were each briefly mentioned at Brisbane Arrest Court on Thursday.

None of the men applied for bail with all matters adjourned to September 16 in Brisbane Magistrates Court.

Police investigations are ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact police.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said while he couldn’t comment on current allegations against the man, the harsher sentencing laws proposed by the LNP would keep serious young offenders behind bars for longer.

“Under adult crime adult time, the sentence would have been far greater,” he said.

“That wasn’t the case, and what is occurring as a result is young offenders are leaving prison for serious crimes earlier than they would if the legislation allowed them to be held accountable for their actions if they were an adult.”

Ms Crisafulli said he was so confident victim numbers would reduce under an LNP-led government, he would happily be held to account on the promise.

“I’m confident that if government changes, the number of victims will be lower,” he said.

“That is the barometer by which we intend to be held accountable if we get the chance to go.”