Child killers to face tougher sentences in shake-up of Queensland laws

CLOSED-DOOR plea deals for child killers will come under the microscope in a legal shake-up prompted by outrage over the lenient sentences handed to some of the state’s worst criminals.

The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council’s year-long review into the sentences handed to child killers found penalties “do not adequately reflect the undue and significant vulnerabilities of child victims”.

More than 60 children were killed in Queensland in the nine years to 2014 and five babies have been killed since the State Government announced the review late last year.

Attorney-General Y’Vette D’Ath has vowed to adopt the council’s eight recommendations, including making the killing of a child under 12 an aggravating feature of manslaughter, which would in turn attract longer sentences.

Researchers found the manslaughter of an adult attracted an average custodial sentence of 8.5 years compared to just 6.8 years for a child.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said the LNP would support the changes but will introduce a private members’ bill for a minimum nonparole period of 25 years for child murder and a new offence of child manslaughter with a mandatory 15-year minimum.