TEEN’S TORMENT: ‘MY BOYFRIEND SET ME YFRIEND
KYESHA FINEMORE WAS JUST 17 WHEN HER PARTNER SET HER ALIGHT. FIVE YEARS ON, HE COULD BE OUT OF PRISON IN A MATTER OF MONTHS!
Five years ago, Kyesha Finemore was set alight by her boyfriend following an argument over her mobile phone. The violent thug, Brae Taylor Lewis, was jailed for 11 years after the horror incident.
Kyesha, who was left scarred for life, thought she’d be able to move on with her life after the sentencing. But her attacker has now had his sentence reduced, meaning he could be paroled and on the streets in six months.
Now 22, Kyesha is bravely speaking out over the horror incident – and about why Lewis should remain in jail.
“Women need to know who he is and what he’s capable of, because I fear he will kill next time,” she tells New Idea.
Kyesha and Lewis were both 16 when they started dating. “He was fun and caring,” she remembers.
But all that changed when she added a smiley face on a message to a male friend – and Lewis exploded.
“He accused me of cheating and smashed my phone,” says Kyesha.
Lewis also ordered her to wear baggy clothes to hide her figure and called her a sl-t if she wore makeup. Then he began hitting her and she told her mother, Mel Cooke.
“Mum said he wouldn’t change, it would get worse and end badly. I was 16, in love. I thought I knew better.”
The abuse escalated. Lewis threw a screwdriver at her, which stuck in her hip and, shockingly, he even threatened to burn her with petrol.
In May 2016, the couple, then both 17, had been together over a year. One day they argued because Lewis wouldn’t let Kyesha use her phone. Again, he threatened her with petrol.
When she continued demanding her phone, he dowsed her in fuel and flicked a lighter. The vapour ignited.
“My arms, hands and chest erupted in a whoosh of flames,” shudders Kyesha.
Screaming in agony, she ripped off her flaming shirt, peeling away ribbons of charred skin with it. Lewis tried to help, before fleeing. Kyesha woke up 24 hours later in Royal Brisbane Hospital.
“I’d been in an induced coma. A fifth of my body was burnt, including my hands, arms, face, neck, chest and thighs,” she says.
Following three skin grafts and a month in hospital, Kyesha was discharged. Lewis, meanwhile, was arrested and was on remand.
“I was having nightmares, depressed and anxious, and needed counselling every two weeks,” says Kyesha.
Lewis claimed it was all an accident, but was found guilty of intent to cause grievous bodily harm. In 2018, he was jailed for 11 years.
Importantly, because the offence was violent and his sentence exceeded 10 years, he was classed a serious offender. That meant he had to serve 80 per cent of the term before parole.
“I cried with relief,” says Kyesha. But the sentence
was short-lived. Her former boyfriend appealed his conviction and sentence, arguing the judge misdirected the jury and the sentence didn’t reflect his remorse.
His lawyer later argued he didn’t deliberately set Kyesha on fire because he ignited the vapour and didn’t apply a flame to her directly. As a result, he got a new trial.
“I was absolutely devastated,” says Kyesha.
Since the incident, Kyesha had moved to Alice Springs, found a new partner and job as a compliance officer, but the appeal court decision plunged her into crisis.
“My nightmares got worse and I had to increase my counselling sessions.
I was terrified Brae was about to be released and hurt my family,” she says.
She was told she’d have to face him in court and testify all over again.
“I was so scared,” she says.
But then, despite having appealed his conviction, Lewis unexpectedly pled guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
And Kyesha’s mum, Mel, discovered a social media post.
“Plead guilty in a few weeks, who wouldn’t – Freedom f--k yeah,” he wrote on Facebook.
At his sentence hearing in January, Lewis’ lawyer claimed he couldn’t access the account and hadn’t made the post. Kyesha and Mel delivered tearful statements via video.
“I told the court Brae had given me a life sentence,” recalls Kyesha. “I said I was even too scared to fill my own car up with petrol.”
Mel begged for Lewis to remain locked up, saying he was a danger to society, women and her daughter.
He was re-sentenced to nine years and six months.
Crucially, it meant he was no longer classed a serious offender and could apply for parole in six months.
“I was stunned. If setting your girlfriend alight doesn’t make you a serious violent offender, what does?” says Kyesha.
Now, the Attorneygeneral is appealing against the sentence, arguing that it’s inadequate and a serious violent offence declaration should have been imposed.
When Lewis is released, Kyesha will delete social media.
“I’ll become a hermit,” she sighs. “With time on remand, he’ll have served just over five years in jail if he gets parole. He burned me alive. How is reducing his sentence justice?”
“WOMEN NEED TO KNOW WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE’S CAPABLE OF”