Family of Alexandra Hills couple killed in crash reveal ‘unbearable’ pain

The devastated family of the couple tragically killed in Brisbane have opened up for the first time and revealed a heartbreaking detail.

The families of the Brisbane couple killed by an alleged stolen vehicle on Australia Day have revealed they were planning to name their unborn child Miles.

Speaking for the first time since the accident in Alexandra Hills, the families of Kate Leadbetter and Matthew Field said the “shock and grief has been overwhelming”.

“Our lives have been shattered,” a father of one of the victims said, visibly shaking and fighting back tears.

“To have lost three cherished members of our families in such a senseless and sudden way is beyond our comprehension.

“For us to sit here today without our beautiful son, Matt, and our darling daughter, Kate, is unbearable.”

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Matty and Kate had told their families they were going to name their unborn son Miles. Picture: Facebook

The families said Matt and Kate had announced to their families in recent weeks that they had intended to name their baby boy Miles.

These plans were tragically ruined when they were fatally struck by an allegedly stolen Land Cruiser while walking their dogs on Tuesday afternoon.

“There is a nursery created by Kate and Matt with joy and love and anticipation that our little grandson, Miles, will never occupy,” their families said.

“Matt and Kate were truly great human beings — talented and funny and such good company at the happiest point in their lives about to embark on the thrilling adventure of parenthood.

“We were so looking forward to sharing that adventure with them.

“We are forever heartbroken.”

Police claim the Land Cruiser slammed into a truck at speed before rolling into the couple.

They will allege that a 17-year-old youth was behind the wheel of the 4WD and fled the scene before later being apprehended.

He has since been charged with the couple’s murder and a raft of driving offences.

The families thanked the local and wider community for the outpouring of support and sympathy, saying they had been too struck by grief to speak earlier.

They also thanked the community who pulled together to help find the couple’s dog, Frankie, who had been spooked by the accident and ran away.

It wasn’t until the following day that a group had been able to locate him and take him to a vet.

“To everyone who left flowers, messages, and other tokens of good will, to all who spent hours searching the streets and parklands of Alexandra Hills and Wellington Point for our poor frightened Frankie, we are so grateful,” the families said.

The couple were pregnant with their first child at the time of the accident.

The families, who only wanted to be identified as the parents of Kate and Matt and grandparents of Miles, made no comment about the alleged offender or his bail conditions as debate continues to rage in Queensland about youth justice policies in the wake of the tragedy.

Kate Leadbetter’s aunt made a tearful and desperate plea for change on Wednesday night at the roadside vigil in Brisbane where the two were allegedly struck by a teen police allege was intoxicated behind the wheel.

Her comments echoed the sentiment of the community, infuriated that such a tragic incident could occur by a juvenile who was supposedly on bail at the time.

Liberal-National MP and former child protection detective Dan Purdie accused Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk of “watering down” youth justice policies when the Labor leader ascended power in 2015.

“They removed the offence for a juvenile to breach bail,” he told Sunrise. “They also made detention a last resort.”

Mr Purdie insists the policy changes led to a “youth crime epidemic” in the Sunshine State as he called on the tragic death of the expecting couple to be used as a platform for change.

But Annastacia Palaszczuk cited the change her government made in 2020 to tighten laws where there was a presumption against bail, turning the blame on the court system. “There’s questions that need to be asked about why the laws weren’t adhered to,” she told reporters. “What happened to Kate and Matthew is an absolute tragedy. It’s horrific - we want answers, the family want answers, the community wants answered and I want answers.”