Ipswich teen sentenced for being passenger in Vyleen White’s car after ‘tragic’ shops stabbing

A teen charged with unlawful use of a vehicle linked to the stabbing death of Vyleen White has been sentenced after his parents marched the “out of control” boy to a police station in the days following the incident, a court has heard.

Vyleen White was stabbed to death at a suburban shopping centre. Picture: Supplied/Facebook (via NCA NewsWire)

The parents of a teen linked to the stabbing death of Vyleen White marched their “out of control” son to a police station in the days following the Ipswich grandmother’s death.

Ipswich Children’s Court heard at the son’s sentencing proceedings on Tuesday how the hardworking parents notified police after seeing CCTV video capturing their son exiting Ms White’s vehicle following the February 2024 incident.

The juvenile, who cannot be named, pleaded guilty today to the unlawful use of a vehicle linked to Ms White’s death.

He will spend no additional time in custody over the charge after being sentenced to four months probation for the offence, which is now listed among the LNP’s new adult crime, adult time legislation targeting youth offenders.

The court heard the boy, 16, was “not involved in any way shape or form” in the stabbing incident itself, in which another boy allegedly stabbed Ms White and stole her car at the Redbank Town Square carpark on February 3, 2024.

Police prosecutor Bronwyn Sharp said three African males, including the boy being sentenced, exited a McDonalds on Redbank Plains Road and joined their co-accused in the car after he drove it out of the carpark.

She said the car was later located dumped on Bruny Street, Springfield Lakes, where CCTV captured the boy and three other males exiting the car.

Police at the scene at Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre. Picture: Glenn Campbell/NCA NewsWire

Snr Cst Sharp said the boy’s parents brought him to police to hand himself in on the evening of February 4, after seeing the footage police had released on social media as part of their homicide investigation.

She said the boy had provided a “self-serving” version of events to police in an interview, and identified himself as the final male to be seen exiting Ms White’s car in footage.

Snr Cst Sharp submitted that the boy should receive a 12-month probation term for the unlawful use – which the court heard was the maximum period of probation he could receive for the offence, committed prior to Premier David Crisafulli’s legislation changes.

But defence lawyer Kelsea Read argued her client should receive three to four months probation, to take into account the 76 days he had spent on remand.

The boy had spent 48 days in custody last year following a robbery offence in May, for which he was sentenced to a restorative justice order last Friday.

That offence, which the court previously heard had been committed while on bail for the Vyleen White offence, involved the boy robbing a 14-year-old at Ipswich’s Riverlink Shopping Centre while pretending to be armed with a knife.

The boy was detained in custody for a further 28 days from December 31, after committing nine breaches of bail.

The court heard at his unsuccessful bail application on January 2 how the “confirmed gang member” had repeatedly breached his curfew conditions throughout December, and that his parents had told police they had effectively lost control over him.

The defendant's mother leaving the courthouse with his lawyer Kelsea Read and barrister Emma Thorsen on Friday, January 24, following the boy’s robbery sentence. Picture: Nicola McNamara

In addition to the unlawful use charge, the boy pleaded guilty today to the nine breaches of bail, along with two counts of obstructing police – in which the court heard he had fled from police in an attempt to avoid arrest in both May and December last year.

Ms Read previously told the court at a mention last week that the boy had already been sentenced for the unlawful use charge to a restorative justice order, which would have seen the boy conference with Ms White’s family.

But she said the matter had been brought back for resentence after they failed to meet an agreement with Ms White’s family, who she claimed had “unrealistic expectations” about the process.

Ms Read emphasised that, although the circumstances of the unlawful use were “extremely tragic”, her client was to be sentenced for being a passenger in the car and nothing more.

The court heard the boy had no criminal history, aside from the robbery, and had been led astray by “poor influences”.

He is expected to return to Year 11 at an Ipswich region school and a part-time job upon his release, Ms Read said.

Magistrate Jason Schubert said the boy’s breaches of bail showed a “terrible degree of compliance” and “lack of respect” for both his bail conditions and police.

But he said the boy had already “suffered consequences” for his actions through his time in detention.

The boy’s four month probation sentence means he will likely be released from detention later today, as he has no outstanding matters before the court.

His father, who attended court to support him, indicated he did not wish to speak with the media.