Teenager pleads guilty to British woman’s murder in Australia

Emma Lovell, 41, was stabbed in her house in 2022 during a home invasion

Emma Lovell, 41, lived in Brisbane with her husband and two children (Screengrab/10 News First Queensland)

A teenager has admitted to murdering a British woman and assaulting her husband in Australia during a home invasion.

Emma Lovell, 41, a mother of two, was attacked in her home in North Lakes, outside Moreton Bay in Queensland, at 11.30am on Boxing Day holiday in 2022 when police say two teenage boys broke into her house.

When Lovell and her husband confronted the duo they were violently attacked, with Lovell stabbed in her chest and her husband also sustaining knife injuries.

The attackers kicked her husband in the face while he was on the ground, causing bruising, and ran out of the home after stabbing Lovell.

Lovell, a former resident of Ipswich who moved to Australia in 2011, died from her stab wounds while her husband, Lee, was treated in hospital.

Her death led to widespread outrage in Australia and ultimately resulted in the state of Queensland passing stricter youth crime laws.

Two suspects, who cannot legally be named as they were 17 at the time of the incident, were each charged with four offences. Neither admitted guilt at the time they were arrested.

But in Brisbane Supreme Court on Monday one of the two boys admitted to being the one who used a knife in the attack and stabbed Lovell. He also pleaded guilty to burglary and committing a malicious act.

The teenager, who is now 18, has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced in May.

The other boy has yet to enter any pleas.

A number of conferences had been held with the teen who pleaded guilty on Monday to ensure he understood the evidence, defence barrister Scott Lynch told the court, due to concerns about his intellect.

“There’s concerns about his intellect and that’s why there has been a good amount of time spent with him,” Mr Lynch said.

Mr Lovell was in court to hear the teen plead guilty. However, he did not speak to the media.