‘More disappointed than angry’: Kefu reacts to home invaders’ sentence

Australian rugby great Toutai Kefu has expressed his frustration at the level of crime in Brisbane and his disappointment at the sentences given to two teenagers who attacked his family in 2021.

In the Supreme Court on Thursday, Justice Peter Davis said the home invasion was “truly horrific” and photos of the Kefu home made it look “like a war zone”.

Davis sentenced the teenagers to eight and seven years’ detention respectively, and did not record convictions.

Toutai Kefu with his wife Rachel at their Brisbane home in 2021Credit: Paul Harris

On Nine’s A Current Affair on Friday night, Kefu said his family would never forget the incident – “My wife doesn’t sleep any more” – and had become more security-conscious.

“I’m really frustrated by what’s happening at the moment,” Kefu said.

“There’s still a lot of break-ins and car thefts.”

Kefu said he was “more disappointed than angry” at the sentences handed down to the teenagers, partly because his family was still trying to move on.

“We certainly thought [the offenders] were going to get a lot more in terms of the sentencing but we were prepared for if they didn’t and we haven’t really given that much thought or emotion to that,” Kefu said.

“We’re putting our thoughts towards our daughter who is in year 12, so we’re thinking about her graduating, we’re thinking about my son who might be moving overseas, we’re thinking about that.

“So we’re thinking about things that are positive in our future so we’re not giving much thought to what’s happened in the past.”

Speaking to Peter Fegan on 4BC on Friday morning, Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath flagged a possible appeal of the sentences.

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

“It is a heinous crime. I know the prosecutor asked for it to be recognised as a heinous crime, and that [they were] seeking sentences above 10 years.

“I’m not going to reflect on the judge himself, but ... if the advice to me is that there are reasonable grounds to lodge an appeal, then I’ll certainly be taking that advice.”

Her comments came as Auditor-General Brendan Worrall used his final report to criticise the “long-standing, inherent problems” in the Queensland government’s response to youth crime.

In a report tabled in parliament, Worrall acknowledged his office did not have a mandate to question the merit of government policies, but said it was evident no one was “steering” the crime response.

“My last report could not be about a more complex matter that is impacting the lives of many Queenslanders,” Worrall wrote.

“It raises recurring themes and issues I have seen over the past seven years, which are hindering entities’ effectiveness in reducing serious youth crime.”

Worrall said agencies were often pulling in different directions, without any central leadership, and in that seven-year period responsibility for youth justice had “moved between departments five times”.

Worrall made 12 recommendations for reform, all of which have been accepted by the government.