The husband of a woman who was murdered during a home invasion in Australia has spoken out about the attack.
Emma Lovell, 41, died from a knife wound to her heart at her home in North Lakes in Queensland on Boxing Day in 2022 while fending off two intruders.
She was originally from Hasketon, outside Woodbridge, and lived with her husband, Lee, in Ipswich before they emigrated along with their two daughters to Australia in 2011.
A teenager, who cannot be named, previously pleaded guilty to her murder and has been jailed for 14 years.
Another teenager is currently before the courts in relation to the killing.
The Lovells and their children were at home during the attack.
On the Who’s to Blame? podcast about the youth crime crisis in Queensland, Mr Lovell spoke about what happened during the incident.
The couple had attempted to fend off the intruders after they had been woken by their dogs barking at about 11.30pm.
Mr Lovell was injured during a “physical struggle directly outside the front door” which then moved to the front lawn, where his wife was fatally stabbed.
On the podcast he described her personality: “She was quite shy and didn’t like to put herself out there too much but when we were together, she was chatty and a fun person to be around.
He added: “I think she was just born to be a mum. That’s all she wanted to be, and she would have given her life for her kids.”
Paramedics attempted CPR on Mrs Lovell while Mr Lovell himself was bleeding after being stabbed in the back and kicked in the face.
“I started thinking I’m a dad I can’t die,” he told the podcast.
The couple were put into separate ambulances and told they would meet at the hospital.
Mr Lovell recalled the shock in the moment he was told of her death, to which he responded: “What do you mean she hasn’t made it?”
Mrs Lovell’s best friend Christina Lofthouse also spoke on the podcast.
She said: “It’s heart-breaking to think that my best friend took her last breath because somebody decided they needed what was in their house.
“They bought this house to keep their children safe in. She died and took her last breath in what was such a heroic act, trying to keep her babies safe.”
The 17-year-old who has been jailed for murder had never spent any time in custody although he had 84 convictions, with 16 of those crimes involving unlawful entry.
At Brisbane’s Supreme Court, Justice Tom Sullivan said the attacker had committed a “particularly heinous offence”.
He added: “The Lovells were ordinary citizens enjoying their family life in their home where they were entitled to feel safe.
“What occurred on that Boxing Day evening violated that entirely.”
Mrs Lovell’s death prompted outrage across Queensland and was one of many high-profile crimes that saw the Australian state introduce stricter youth crime laws in 2023.
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