‘Out of touch with reality’: Murdered teen Angus Beaumont’s parents slam youth bail laws

The parents of murdered teenager Angus Beaumont have made an impassioned plea to parliament to overhaul Queensland’s justice laws with current legislation “failing families”.

The parents of murdered teen Angus Beaumont have taken their fight to strengthen justice laws to Queensland’s parliament, as the government faced a barrage of questions over the state’s youth crime crisis.

Angus was just 15 years old when he died after being stabbed during a confrontation with two teens, who were aged just 14 at the time.

Both teens, who were repeat violent offenders with one on bail and the other on parole at the time of the murder, were found guilty in June.

On Tuesday his parents Ben Beaumont and Michelle Liddle watched from the parliamentary gallery as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman and Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard were questioned on Queensland’s youth crime laws.

Michelle Liddle and Ben Beaumont outside Parliament House. Picture: Liam Kidston

“As we have said many times in this House, youth crime is a very complex issue. We understand and acknowledge there are concerns out there in the community,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We are constantly addressing this issue by making sure our frontline police have the resources they need and are deployed to the places across Queensland the Commissioner sees fit.”

Mr Beaumont and Ms Liddle said they believed their son would still be alive if stronger bail laws had been in place.

“Michelle and I are here at parliament to see for ourselves,” Mr Beaumont said.

“They (the government) said presumption against bail was their main ammunition against this problem, but we’ve seen first-hand presumption against bail does not work.

“It’s a small criteria they have to meet and when they don’t meet it, there’s no consequences.”

Redcliffe victim Angus Beaumont.

During Question Time Ms Palaszczuk acknowledged the presence of Angus’ parents, saying “I hope that they have seen the entire question time, because it is very clear that we are investing in more police to make sure that police are tackling these very complex issues in the community”.

“Secondly, we have put in place a presumption against bail. The opposition is peddling something that does not work and does not exist,” she said, referencing the LNP’s push for breach of bail to be an offence.

But Mr Beaumont said an overhaul of the youth justice laws was needed – starting with breach of bail.

“They say the breach of bail won’t make a difference – but it will, because if you change breach of bail you must change the other laws to coincide with breach of bail,” he said.

“There needs to be changes throughout the whole system, but it starts with breach of bail. The other laws must change to make it worth it.”

“We‘re just a family,” Ms Liddle said.

“We’ve got no political background. But to see these bail laws are successful, unfortunately they’re out of touch with reality.

“The reality is these legislations are failing families.”

Originally published as ‘Out of touch with reality’: Murdered teen Angus Beaumont’s parents slam youth bail laws