‘Enormous pain’: Crime crusader’s push for Kefu home invasion sentence appeal

A youth justice campaigner and neighbour of the Kefu family who went to their rescue during a brutal home invasion says this is the Attorney-General’s chance to fight for victims.

A youth justice campaigner and neighbour of the Kefu family who went to their rescue on the night of the attack hopes that the Attorney-General remembers the meeting she had with him when considering whether to appeal the sentence.

A day after Justice Peter Davis sentenced two of the teens who stormed the Kefu home with knives and attacked the family, Ben Cannon told The Courier-Mail that the court process made him feel like the criminals were more important than the victims.

He argued that victims of crime should be given equal opportunity to “have the judge’s ear” during sentencing submissions.

Toutai Kefu with his neighbour Ben Cannon. Picture: Liam Kidston

He argued that lawyers for the two teens, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were allowed to go into detail about the boys’ plans for their lives once they leave juvenile detention yet the legacy of grief for the Kefu family “holds little to no regard”.

Justice Davis stated that one teen plans to move to Melbourne and start an apprenticeship in barbering, and aspires to own his own barber shop, and return to playing sport.

“The justice system has to decide whether they remove the enormous rights criminals have to sway the judge’s decision or give victims the opportunity to equally have the judge’s ear,” Mr Cannon said.

He was upset that Justice Davis required him to cut sections of his victim impact statement that he read to the court in May.

“They got their life story rolled out,” he said of the two teens.

“We are supposed to believe that after three years they are sorry? I don't think this should hold any weight, that they come to us now and say they are sorry, that now their family and communities supports them,” he said.

“Where was your family and community in August 2021 at 3am?” he asked.

Mr Cannon said he that the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney-General now “hold all of the cards” with whether there will be an appeal.

Ben Cannon at 'Voice for Victims' victims of crime rally in Brisbane. Picture: Richard Walker

“When I met with Yvette D’Ath she looked me in the eye and gave me an undertaking that she understood the enormous pain it has caused, and this is her chance to fight for the people who have been hurt the most,” he said.

Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath described the brutal attack on the Kefu family as “heinous” and said she would push forward with an appeal if the Director of Public Prosecutions found there were reasonable grounds.

Speaking on 4BC radio this morning, Ms D’Ath said she had no doubt the sentences given to the two youths – which allowed them to avoid criminal convictions – would not have met with what the community considered adequate justice.

“There’s no doubt that I think the public would have heard that yesterday and said that doesn’t meet community expectations,” she said.

Toutai Kefu with his wife Rachel and 4 of his 5 kids Isaac, 13, Joshua, 21, Olivia, 19 and Lucia, 15, (Maddison, 18 missing), Coorparoo. Picture: Liam Kidston

“I spoke to the Director of Public Prosecutions last night and they will now get the reasoning for the judgement and once they’ve got all the materials, they will then provide a brief to me.

“We’ve got 28 days to lodge any appeal and what they need to do is look at whether there are good grounds … and one of those grounds is whether the sentence itself is manifestly inadequate.

“That’s often been the grounds … when I have sought appeals, that is the appeal.”

She told the radio station the prosecutor had asked for the crimes to be considered particularly heinous, which would allow the judge to sentence above 10 years.

“It is a heinous crime,” Ms D’Ath said.

“If the advice I get from the DPP is that there are grounds for an appeal then yes I will be appealing.”