Today Show host Sylvia Jeffreys reveals her sister is a victim of youth crime in Queensland
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Channel Nine’s Sylvia Jeffreys has opened up about how her own sister fell victim to Queensland’s rising youth crime wave, suggesting her car and bag were stolen.
The Today Show host was sympathetic to victim and advocate Ben Cannon when he revealed that his own family had been attacked by youths last week.
Jeffreys admonished the Queensland government for failing to support victims of “horrible crimes” who later suffer severe psychological trauma.
“My own sister and her family became victims of juvenile crime in Brisbane last week and I know the impacts on them go far beyond the inconvenience of not having a car for a period of time or replacing the contents of a bag,” he said. saying.
“The emotional trauma that is attached to these events is spreading everywhere in Queensland at the moment.”
Cannon ran to help his neighbor, Wallabies great Toutai Kefu, after he was stabbed in the stomach by robbers during a terrifying home invasion in 2021.
A fight broke out at Kefu’s Coorparoo home in south-east Brisbane with his wife Rachel, and two of their five children were also injured in the melee.
The Today Show host (left) was sympathetic to crime victim and advocate Ben Cannon (right) when he revealed his family had been attacked last week.
Kefu was left with a sliced liver, broken ribs and profuse bleeding after two young intruders confronted him armed with a cane knife and pocket knife.
His wife’s arm was severed almost to the bone by the cane knife, while his eldest son, Joshua, 21, required 50 stitches for four injuries to his back.
Madison, 18, was also caught up in the terrifying fight and was stabbed in the hand, the knife missing major arteries and tendons.
His comments come after the Queensland state government introduced strict juvenile delinquency laws as part of the state government’s second major anti-juvenile delinquency campaign in two years.
Breaching a bail condition will make it a crime for children in the state, while maximum sentences for stolen cars and night crimes will be increased, as well as increased penalties for those who brag about their crimes on social media.
Sylvia Jeffreys (left), pictured with her sister Claire Going in Brisbane
The controversial change comes after a series of high-profile killings in the last three months involving criminals under the age of 18, including the fatal stabbing of mother Emma Lovell at her north Brisbane home, and the killing of a man with a disability waiting for a taxi in Toowoomba.
However, Cannon criticized the moves as “too little, too late” and “a real insult” and said the fight at Kefu’s house had taken a physical, mental and financial toll.
“There were many times we were unable to work, many of the Kefu have had surgeries for their injuries and some repeatedly,” he said.
“There have been huge financial costs, huge emotional cost to us. We, as victims, had criminals who should not have been allowed on the streets, causing us harm.’
The Queensland state government will impose tougher laws against juvenile delinquency after Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk made a sensational pushback on Monday.
Ms Palaszczuk’s Labor government removed breaching bail as an offense for children in 2015 and cabinet ministers have repeatedly rejected the move since then.
The prime minister said the move to reinstate it came after listening to the community, she said, and is “in the spirit of bipartisanship.”
“The public has been talking about this and this is a government that listens,” Palaszczuk told reporters on Monday.
The government will invest $332 million in a series of legal reforms to increase police resources, support community safety, and address the cause of juvenile delinquency.
The cabinet has also approved a $42 million juvenile justice package, which includes police officers who can be sent to problem areas.
The laws are likely to go through a two-week consultation process.
Neighbor Ben Cannon ran to help his neighbor, Wallabies great Toutai Kefu (pictured with his family) after he was stabbed in the stomach by robbers during a terrifying home invasion.
On Boxing Day, mother-of-two Emma Lovell (pictured with her husband Lee) was allegedly stabbed to death by two teenage girls at their home in Brisbane’s North Lakes.
The opposition accuses Labor of a major setback by adopting a policy characteristic of the National Liberal Party, which the government has consistently rejected for more than two years.
However, Police Minister Mark Ryan said the previous LNP government had only seen youngsters charged with bail breaching if they committed an offense while on bail.
He said the Labor laws would be tougher and bring bail rules for children in line with those for adults.
“Time for a reality check,” Mr Ryan told parliament.
‘The previous administration had a law that made it a crime to commit a crime while on bail, but it was not a breach of bail law, violating the terms of bail was not a crime. The laws we are introducing are much stronger.’
It is the second time in two years that the Labor government has enacted laws aimed at cracking down on youth crime after a package of measures was introduced in April 2021.
The Justice Reform Initiative has criticized both major parties for breaching the bail policy, which it said will not reduce juvenile delinquency but will increase the number of children in prison.
“It now appears Queensland’s leaders are in a race to the bottom, rather than implementing rational evidence-based policies of what really works to reduce crime and improve community safety,” he said in a statement on Monday. .