‘10 years not enough’: Grieving family’s crusade on sentencing

The daughter of a woman fatally stabbed at a shopping centre says she is on a mission to get the laws changed to have tougher sentencing for juveniles.

The family of Vyleen White say they will campaign for tougher sentencing for juveniles, with the beloved grandmother’s alleged killer facing a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Vyleen White’s daughter, Cindy Micallef, said it was going to be a big priority for the family to get the laws changed after her mother was killed on Saturday evening in an alleged carjacking at Town Square Redbank Plains.

Five teens have been charged in relation to the incident – one with murder, stealing and unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and four with unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

The 16-year-old boy accused of murder had been on bail for multiple armed robbery offences at the time.

Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre stabbing victim Vyleen White

Under the Youth Justice Act, the teen accused of murder can only be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years jail if convicted, unless the court considers the offence to be “particularly heinous”.

Ms White’s family say a decade in jail for a life sentence “isn’t enough” and they want courts to be able to consider longer sentences for the worst offences.

“I’ve been doing this movement for mum and I am on a mission to not just change laws but create new ones,” she said.

“The maximum in the juvenile detention centre sentencing is 10 years, they can still get out, have kids, have a life.

“They’ve still got a life to live, we’ve lost the heart of our lives.”

Ms Micallef said she had received support from people all over Australia for the campaign.

“Once the funeral is over and done with, this steam train on legal change will be full steam ahead,” she said.

People place flowers in tribute to Vyleen White, 70, of Redbank Plains. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

“I’ve got community support. I’ve been in touch with the victims of crime network. We’re all going to take force – there’s strength in unity.

“If we all get on this bandwagon, they have to listen.

“If we get half a million signatures or something or whatever we need to do, stand out of the Parliament House, they have to listen.

“I want a state change, even an Australian change on the laws about juveniles and sentencing.”

Ms Micallef said after her mother’s alleged murder she did not want innocent members of the African community to be targeted after police described the alleged offenders being of African descent.

“I do not want there to be a vigilante squad on the African people, these people have come here to start a new life. Like all immigrants … they didn’t come here to start trouble,” she said.

But after everything that had happened, Ms Micallef said she was struggling to come terms with it, revealing her last memories of her mother.

“I don’t have a mum anymore, I have the memories of my mum. I was only talking to her on Saturday,” she said.

“I got a recipe from her and we were chatting about the recipe, and this was only about an hour and half before it happened.

“You don’t think your mum’s going to go to the shop and never come home.”

Ms Micallef said it wasn’t just her feeling the effects but her whole family was “broken” including her father who is blind and was being looked after by her mother, and her sisters.

“My sister’s are pretty broken. My dad’s broken down,” she said.

“She was a very loving and generous person, she was a wonderful mother, grandmother, friend, sister.

“At the moment, I’m just focused on getting to the funeral, getting things sorted, we have to wait for the autopsy and the coroner’s report so we are in a limbo.”

Originally published as ‘10 years not enough’: Grieving family’s crusade on sentencing