Teen ‘stabbed Brit mum Emma Lovell to death hours after being released on bail’ as pics show gang’s sick boasts online
A TEENAGE boy allegedly stabbed a Brit mum to death at her home in Australia just hours after being released on bail.
Emma Lovell, 41, originally from Ipswich, died after she and her husband Lee, 43, were knifed at their home in Queensland on Boxing Day while attempting to stop two intruders.
Cops said the couple were both stabbed after the burglars broke into their house and a “scuffle” broke out on the front porch as they frantically tried to protect their two children.
Emma tragically died from her injuries after she was stabbed in the chest.
Lee was released from hospital after being treated for a non-life threatening stab wound.
Police arrested four teenage boys near the Brisbane home four hours after the burglary.
Two 17-year-olds have been charged with murder and attempted murder, and appeared in court on Wednesday before they were remanded in custody.
Police are continuing to question two others, aged 16 and 17.
Detectives confirmed all four teenagers were “known to police”.
According to 7News, one of the boys charged with murder was arrested on Christmas Eve and charged with multiple offences.
He was then released on bail on Boxing Day despite police objections – hours before Emma was stabbed to death on her doorstep.
One of the boys involved was also reportedly responsible for the stabbing of a man at another home in Brisbane last year.
He was charged with attempted murder, sentenced and since released from custody.
Locals now fear Emma’s murder could be linked to teenage gangs who have been terrorising Brisbane amid a spate of brutal burglaries across the city.
The gang members’ social media profiles are awash with gang signs and photos of themselves posing with machetes, cash and drugs and bragging about their crimes.
According to the Courier Mail, one of the teens allegedly involved in the Boxing Day murder posted videos of himself and others driving around in luxury stolen cars just days before her death.
The group filmed themselves hitting speeds of up to 130mph before posing in front of an Audi and a Porsche using gang signs and holding up fistfuls of cash.
The most recent video was shared on social media just a week ago.
The four boys linked to the murder were also living in a nearby halfway house for youth offenders – and had been causing trouble in the weeks before, Daily Mail reports.
Natalie, who lives nearby, said she had heard of several break-ins in the area amid tensions between rival youth gangs from opposite sides of Brisbane.
“There is a Northside and a Southside gang, they operate on either end of the city,” she said.
“Something has to change… people should feel safe in their homes.”
Neighbour Tracey said different boys and girls would move out of the halfway house every few weeks.
Over the past 18 months, she said her family have seen cops repeatedly storming into the home.
In recent days, she claimed she had seen a series of graffiti tags saying “Northside” sprayed on fences and walls near the halfway house.
Back in April, a gang of young offenders broke into a home in the city armed with knives, stealing several luxury items including a Louis Vuitton travel bag and the family’s Lexus SUV.
They reportedly filmed the robbery and posted the terrifying footage online, showing the thugs brandishing their weapons while the family was asleep upstairs.
Emma’s husband, Lee, broke down in tears on Wednesday as he opened up about the horrifying night on Boxing Day and the moment he knew his wife had died.
Lee said he initially thought his wife was going to survive her injuries after the attack.
But he recalled his “major shock” hours later when he found out she had died.
And the dad had to deliver the heartbreaking news to his daughters after one of them asked: “Where’s mummy?”
Fighting back tears, Lee said: “I said, ‘we need to talk’ and we both just broke down.”
Lee paid tribute to his wife, saying she “died trying to protect me and our family”.
He told the Daily Mail: “Emma was the glue in our family, she was funny, smart, so caring, would do anything for anyone.
“She died trying to protect me and our family.
“We’re all devastated by what has happened. I miss her so much.”
Explaining how the horror unfolded, he said: “We heard our two dogs barking, Emma checked on our security app and saw the front door was open.
“We both rushed out of our bedroom door, Emma behind me, and saw two people in our house.
“I didn’t even know there was an issue until my daughter spotted that her mum was bleeding.”
Emma and Lee moved from Suffolk to Australia with their two daughters 11 years ago.
The family had spent Christmas Day at the beach on the Sunshine Coast.
A smiling family photo was shared along with a message for their pals.
They wrote on Facebook: “Hope everyone has a great Christmas Day spent with loved ones and friends.”
Neighbour Jay Balhatchet, who witnessed paramedics desperately trying to help Emma on the front lawn, said the neighbourhood woke to screams.
He said: “Just screaming really, of the two young girls. ‘someone help my mum, help my mum’.
“That’s pretty much when everyone got up, and that’s when they all saw it happen on the front lawn.”
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a petition has been set up calling for the creation of “Emma’s Law”.
The proposed law would make jail time compulsory for violent burglars who are repeat offenders or use weapons, regardless of age.
Lee said he would be supporting the campaign for the new law.
“I urge the politicians who can make changes to do so and not just talk about it to gain votes for the next election, you need to act and follow the talking through,” he said.
Superintendent John Hallam said emergency services were confronted with a “horrific scene”.
And he said there are no known links between the victims and the suspects.
“The family are traumatised and shattered,” he said.
“They’ve lost their mother and their wife. The whole community is mourning as well.”
A fundraising campaign has been set up for the family by the community in North Lakes.
“Emma leaves behind her husband Lee and two daughters, who are now faced with the unimaginable loss of their beloved wife and mother,” the fundraiser said.