An appeal will be launched into the sentence of the man jailed for killing Katherine Leadbetter and her partner Matthew Field when he struck them with a stolen car last year, Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman says.
In January last year, a 17-year-old under the influence of drugs and alcohol was driving a four-wheel-drive in Alexandra Hills when it collided with a tow truck, causing it to roll and strike the couple.
They died at the scene and their unborn son Miles was delivered stillborn shortly after.
The now 18-year-old man — who cannot be named as he was convicted as a juvenile — was handed a 10-year sentence last Tuesday for more than a dozen charges including two counts of manslaughter.
However, after considering the teen's early guilty plea, his steps toward rehabilitation, and "genuine remorse and shame", the judge ordered he should be released from custody after serving six years.
The ruling was labelled "grossly inadequate" by the victims' families and a petition created by the Opposition to appeal the sentence has garnered more than 46,000 signatures.
Ms Fentiman said she had informed the families an appeal will be launched by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions this afternoon.
"There is now not much more I can say as the matter is before the Court of Appeal, but I can confirm that the grounds of appeal that the sentence for manslaughter was manifestly inadequate, particularly as the judge had determined that the offence was a heinous offence," Ms Fentiman said.
"I have listened. I have taken the advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions and now I am appealing this matter."
'This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue'
A statement from Ann and Russell Field on behalf of the families of Matthew and Ms Leadbetter welcomed the decision to appeal the sentence.
"We thank the Attorney-General and hope the appeal is swift and results in a more appropriate sentence in line with the community's expectations for the three beautiful lives that were so tragically cut short, as well as the countless others that have been destroyed as a result," the statement said.
"We also want to thank [Redlands] Mayor Karen Williams, David Crisafulli, Don Brown and the many other community leaders for signing our petition calling for an appeal and for tougher youth justice laws.
"This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue.
"While today's decision is a good start there is still a long way to go to change the laws so other families don't have to go through what we have been through.
"The deaths of Matthew, Kate and Miles must not be in vain."
'I completely understand the community's anger'
Ms Fentiman said the Field and Leadbetter families were incredibly emotional when informed of the appeal and she had extended her support to them.
She acknowledged the backlash from the community to the sentence.
"We have lost the lives of two young Queenslanders and their unborn baby. I completely understand the community's anger and frustration," she said.
"I want to remind the community that this case actually prompted huge changes to our Youth Justice Act, the Youth Justice Minister has made significant changes to the Youth Justice Act and those changes are working."
State LNP Opposition leader David Crisafulli said the decision "gives hope to the family".
He said the quick reaction to the petition showed there was momentum for changes to the Youth Justice Act.
"The community response shows that Queenslanders want to know that safety matters to them," he said.
"We need changes to the Youth Justice Act to ensure other families don't have to go through the same.
"If the Attorney is truly listening, she will now listen to the tens of thousands of Queenslanders who want to ensure this doesn't happen again."
Mr Crisafulli said the Attorney-General's decision to launch an appeal would hopefully make the grief of the victim's families "a little less harsh".
In a joint statement released last week, the families of Ms Leadbetter and Mr Field said the six-year jail term fell short of what the community expected, and they were serving their own "life sentence".
"Unfortunately for us this is not the end, only the next phase of our emotional journey," the statement said.
"Our life sentence started on Australia Day last year, it will never end — our pain will never end."
"They will not be forgotten and we will never get over it — we will not move on, but at least for now, we can move forward."
