Teen pleads guilty to murdering British mum who moved to Australia for ‘better life’
A teenager has admitted murdering a British mum after a break-in at her house in Australia.
The boy is one of two teens accused of killing Emma Lovell in 2022, who cannot be named because they were 17 at the time of the attack.
Emma, 41, emigrated from Suffolk to Queensland in 2011 with her husband Lee, who survived the Boxing Day incident, and their two daughters.
Queensland Police allege the two boys were confronted after breaking into Emma’s home in Brisbane, before they tried to flee the scene.
One of the teenagers, who is now 18, then allegedly stabbed the couple in the front garden of the family’s North Lakes home.
Emma was wounded in the chest and died as a result of her injuries.
Her husband Lee attended the brief arraignment and was present at Brisbane’s Supreme Court to hear the teen’s guilty plea today.
He did not provide media comment.
The teen who allegedly wielded the murder weapon also pleaded guilty to burglary, malicious acts with intent and assault occasioning bodily harm over an attack on Lee.
He was remanded in custody and will face sentencing on May 3.
The second teenager being charged with the British mum’s murder is yet to enter any pleas.
Originally from Hasketon, Emma moved to Australia to have the chance to have a ‘better life’ for her family, her brother David Angel told the BBC.
Her death prompted outrage across Queensland and was one of many high-profile crimes that saw the state introduce stricter youth crime laws in 2023.
It is now a criminal offence in Queensland if a child breaches bail conditions.
Children as young as 15 can also be fitted with GPS trackers, and the courts now have the authority to declare youths as serious repeat offenders in certain circumstances.
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