How the AG's constant appeals could change sentencing trends
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington revealed on Friday she had asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to appeal the sentence handed to Christopher Luke Hili and Lee Kathleen Hili, who were jailed earlier this year for raping a 15-year-old girl at the couple's house following a party.
The pair were sentenced in Brisbane's Supreme Court in April following a five-day trial. Lee was slapped with a prison sentence of six years while Christopher was handed seven years through the added offence of supplying cannabis to a child.
'This was sickening offending against a young and vulnerable victim and I do not believe the sentences meet community expectations,' Frecklington said.
'My thoughts are with the victim and her family.'
Loading
The rebuke is at least the fifth request for a sentence to be appealed by Frecklington since the Liberal-National government was elected last year on a promise to crack down on crime.
The state government has already set higher punishment requirements for mandatory sentences of youth offenders through its 'adult crime, adult time' suite of laws.
And criminal lawyer and former Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts said regular appealing of sentences is another avenue for the state government to flex its tough on crime narrative.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
4 hours ago
- Sky News AU
NSW Liberals lobby party to implement US-style primary system to choose candidates as re-build continues
High ranking NSW Liberals are calling on Sussan Ley to consider imposing a US-style primary system to pre-select candidates in significant structural overhaul of the party's long-standing practices. The NSW Liberals were all but decimated at the recent federal election which has led to internal debate about how to bolster the party's appeal and revitalise aging local branches. Gender quotas have become a point of contention within the party, with proponents and critics engaging in a bitter public dispute including in a leaked group chat titled 'quotas v merit' where senior Libs debated the policies validity. However, top NSW Liberals have touted a separate route, urging the party to revamp its pre-selection process through the use of US-style open primary elections. Shadow attorney general and federal member for Berowra Julian Leeser has said opening up pre-selection to non-members and the wider public would expand the Liberal Party's scope and bring in a new wave of members. 'The best way to ensure that our members reflect the communities that they represent is to have the largest number of members of the general community choose them,' Mr Leeser told the Telegraph. Mr Leeser, who is one of the last Liberal members occupying an outer-metropolitan seat nationwide said the plan would increase 'diversity' and 'overcome the challenge of a declining membership an supporter base.' Liberal Party pre-selection, which currently involves local party members and state delegates voting to choose a candidate, would be scrapped, with all eligible voters in the relevant electorate given the chance to have their say under the proposed model. Mr Leeser, who narrowly fended of a challenge from local publisher turned Teal candidate Tina Brown said holding US-primary style elections would bring ideological vigour to local branches and allow the community to actively immerse themselves in the inner workings of the Party. He insisted it would 'demonstrate to the general public that we are a broad, open welcoming party that is seeking the best talent available.' Mr Leeser has been a long-time advocate of parachuting the concept of US primary elections down under, with the move also receiving the support of numerous party elders including former NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. The method was previously considered a fringe idea in Liberal ranks. Shadow defence minister and former Liberal leadership contender Angus Taylor backed Mr Leeser's proposal and said open primaries could aid in rebuilding the party's 'grassroots movement.' 'One pathway to do that would be by bringing in primaries,' Mr Taylor told The Daily Telegraph. 'The objective here has to be to rebuild the grassroots political movement that stands for our values, and to do that we're going to have to involve and engage people in ways we haven't before.' Mr Taylor's staunch NSW Right factional ally Anthony Roberts also endorsed primary elections and said it would prevent powerbrokers from hand selecting their candidate of choice in a given electorate. 'The days of captain's picks have got to be over, they are proven not to work,' Mr Roberts said. Mr Leeser said the party should work to commence a trial to gauge the efficacy of primary elections, and that the method should be piloted in a Teal, regional and western Sydney seat.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Sky News AU
NSW Liberals consider adopting US style primaries for elections
The New South Wales Liberal Party is considering adopting a US-style primary system when selecting its election candidates. The Daily Telegraph reported that members of the public will be able to vote on who should represent the major party under the proposed system. The plan is gaining increasing popularity from senior Liberal figures, such as Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor.
The Age
7 hours ago
- The Age
Australia news LIVE: Erin Patterson found guilty in Victorian mushroom trial; RBA tipped to deliver fastest interest cut rate since beginning of COVID-19 pandemic
Latest posts Latest posts 7.56am Zoo to reopen after lion attack By Emily Kowal A Queensland zoo will reopen today after a woman's arm was ripped off by a lion over the weekend. Darling Downs Zoo in Pilton, near Toowoomba, made headlines on Sunday after a woman in her 50s was attacked. The victim, who remains stable in hospital, lost an arm in the attack that has shocked staff and the local community where the family-owned park has operated since 2005. The owners of a zoo said they are yet to determine what led to the attack. In a Facebook post, the zoo said the woman, who is a relative of the owners but not a staff member, remained in hospital 'and is surrounded by members of our extended family'. 'It has still not been possible to interview her to establish what led to this tragic incident,' read the statement. The zoo said the woman was bitten by a lioness in an attack that did not take place inside the animal's enclosure. 'It was not hungry, skinny, taunted or tortured – it is a lion,' the zoo said. 'It comes from a long line of captive-born lions in Australia, but it is still a lion – not a pet.' The lion will not be put down. 7.46am 'Nothing has changed for Australia': Minister on Trump tariffs By Emily Kowal Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has weighed in on the latest Trump tariff saga after US President Donald Trump sent letters to countries overnight announcing further tariffs. Speaking to Today, Rishworth said 'nothing has changed for Australia'. 'When it comes to what Donald Trump is calling reciprocal tariffs, we're getting the lowest level that any other country has had,' she said. Australia was hit with a 10 per cent tariff on all exports to the US back in April. 'So some of the letters that you've seen overnight are suggesting reciprocal tariffs of 25 per cent. We are already at the lowest level, but of course, we will keep putting forward the case to say that we don't think any tariffs are justified,' Rishworth said. Liberal senator James Paterson, also on Today, said the only fair tariff on Australia would be 'zero per cent', but said Australia hasn't 'given ourselves the best chance of securing that from the Trump administration'. 'The prime minister has not even met President Trump, now seven months after he was elected, in stark contrast to other world leaders like the UK prime minister, who did secure an exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs because he did form that personal relationship with President Trump,' Paterson said. 'I really hope the prime minister doesn't leave it any longer before he forms that relationship.' 6.56am De Minaur's Wimbledon campaign ends in disappointment By Marc McGowan Australia's hopes of a Wimbledon win have been toppled after Australian Alex de Minaur's loss to Novak Djokovic. With Roger Federer watching from the royal box, Australia's perennially underestimated tennis torchbearer returned to Wimbledon's centre court for the showdown he was supposed to have 12 months ago – and fell agonisingly short. Read how it played out here. 6.47am Are rate cuts coming? Australia awaits RBA decision By Millie Muroi and Shane Wright All eyes will be on the Reserve Bank this afternoon with RBA governor Michele Bullock expected to deliver its fastest cut in interest rates since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. On a $600,000 mortgage, a rate cut on Tuesday would be worth $100 a month and take the monthly savings since the Reserve Bank started easing monetary policy in February to $300. However, not all economists are convinced the RBA will cut rates. Betashares chief economist David Bassanese said the bank could wait until the next quarter inflation report, due to be released at the end of the month, to get a better handle on how the economy was performing. 6.38am This morning's top stories at a glance By Emily Kowal Good morning and welcome to today's national news blog. My name is Emily Kowal, and I will be taking you through today's top stories. It's Tuesday, July 8. Here's what is making news this morning. Erin Patterson has spent her first night behind bars after she was found guilty in the mushroom murder case. Our reporters take you inside the evidence we couldn't publish during the trial, including the moment Erin Patterson lost her cool, and where the unlikely murder weapon was found. In the United States, President Donald Trump has unveiled a raft of new 25 per cent tariffs. Find out which countries are impacted here. The Reserve Bank is tipped to deliver its fastest interest rate cut since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. NSW Police will drop some of the charges laid against former Greens candidate Hannah Thomas after a review found officers incorrectly sought to use extraordinary emergency powers introduced to quell major riots.
