Two teenagers who burst into the home of Wallabies legend Toutai Kefu and stabbed him and his wife have been sentenced to seven and eight years in prison respectively, with no conviction recorded.
On Thursday, Judge Peter Davis said the pair must serve half their sentences before they can be released after their hearing in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.
This means that one of the children could be free within six months.
The judge compared the inside of the Wallabies legend’s Coorparoo family home to a “war zone”, with police photos showing blood “spattered and smeared” inside the property.
Kefu’s wife, Rachel, 48, slipped on the floor covered in blood as she fought for her life, while the former rugby star suffered a “life-threatening” injury after being stabbed in the stomach.
Prosecutor David Finch argued that the teenagers should be given more than the maximum 10-year prison sentence due to the “heinous” nature of their act, which he placed in the “worst category” of crimes.
The teenagers entered the house in the early morning of August 16, 2021, armed with large knives, with the aim of stealing cars.
“If anyone wakes up, just stab him or her,” the teens told their two accomplices as they spoke in a stolen Hyundai outside the Kefu family home before going inside.
The two teenagers who nearly killed Wallabies legend Toutai Kefu have been jailed
Kefu and his wife Rachel (pictured) were victims of a terrifying home invasion that nearly left their family dead in August 2021
Rachel Kefu disturbed the intruders at 3:10 am, her screams waking her husband Toutai, who jumped over a banister from the upstairs bedroom to defend his wife.
Both teens attacked him, but only one of them appeared to have stabbed him in the chest. The knife penetrated 25mm into his liver, causing a life-threatening injury.
The other attacker attacked Rachel and cut her arm to the bone with a sickle after offering him their car keys, giving them the chance to leave the house.
“We want the keys to the car or we will hurt her,” they said at the time of the attack.
The couple’s son, Joshua, who was 21 at the time, also suffered deep cuts to his back and arm, as well as a dislocated shoulder, where their 18-year-old daughter Madison’s hand was cut.
“The sickle literally cut Ms Kefu to the bone, apart from the fact that it looks like a quite dangerous weapon,” Judge Davis said.
“The perpetrator who wielded the sickle held that sickle the entire time,” Mr Finch said.
The offenders planned to drive the two stolen cars to the Gold Coast, where they would race them.
The pair were initially charged with attempted murder, but after a plea agreement the charges were dropped.
The teenagers were sentenced to seven and eight years in prison, but no conviction has been recorded
The crime scene police found on the property was described as a “war zone”
Both youths pleaded guilty to seven charges, including four counts of malicious dealing with intent, burglary and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
One of the teens pleaded guilty to two more charges, including assaulting Ben Cannon, a youth justice activist and neighbor of the Kefu family who came to their aid.
The court heard how the first teenager was bullied at school because of his Tourette syndrome, had suicidal thoughts after experimenting with ‘substances’ and was unable to play tennis due to an injury.
The teenager apologized for his crimes but said he was aware his actions could not be undone.
The second teenager was born in Burundi, East Africa, and fled home to avoid witnessing domestic violence between his parents. He then started smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol after falling into the wrong crowd.
He admitted in court that it was normal for members of his group to carry weapons to defend themselves.
One of the teens waiting outside the home was convicted in state juvenile court in February and walked free with time already served.
The other boy who did not enter the house was sentenced by another judge, Ian Dearden, to two years and six months in prison, of which he served half the sentence.