A TEENAGER who stabbed to death a British mum in a horror Boxing Day attack has been jailed for 14 years.
Mum-of-two Emma Lovell, 41, died after she was knifed at her home in Brisbane as she bravely fought off two teens who broke in.
One of the 17-year-old attackers pleaded guilty in Brisbane's Supreme Court earlier this year.
He also pleaded guilty to burglary, assault occasioning bodily harm and malicious act with intent.
The attacker, now aged, 19, was sentenced to 14 years behind bars by Supreme Court Justice Tom Sullivan who described the mum's murder as a "particularly heinous" crime.
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He branded the Lovells "a loving family" and added: "They were ordinary citizens enjoying their family life in their home where they were entitled to feel safe.
"What happened... violated that entirely."
Speaking outside court, Emma's grieving husband Lee Lovell, said while he was pleased with the sentence, it would never bring his wife back, ABC News reports.
He said: "No, I don't feel justice is served one bit really, no.
"We've got up to 10 years which is more than I thought it was going to be.
"I suppose it was good to get 14 years, but it will never be enough. It's never going to bring Emma back."
He said that today was Emma's birthday and he said he spent Mother's Day on Sunday with friends.
He added: "It kept my mind off Mother's Day because, it would have been a very different day if Emma was here."
The second alleged intruder has not entered any pleas yet with his case listed for a hearing in Brisbane later this month.
The court heard how the brave mum-of-two, originally from Ipswich, and her husband Lee confronted the two burglars after being woken by the family dogs.
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The couple tried to defend their home while their two daughters were inside sleeping.
Following a "scuffle" on the front porch, Emma was knifed in the chest and later died from her injuries.
Shocked neighbours heard one of her daughters screaming "someone help my mum, help my mum".
Lee was released from hospital after a non-life threatening stab wound.
Emma and Lee moved from Suffolk to Australia with their two daughters more than 12 years ago.
The family had spent Christmas Day that year at the beach on the Sunshine Coast and shared a smiling family pic online.
They wrote on Facebook: "Hope everyone has a great Christmas Day spent with loved ones and friends."
Around 11.30pm on Boxing Day evening the intruders disturbed Lee and Emma at home.
Cops said the family were "woken by barking dogs" before "defending their house".
At the time cops arrested four teenage boys near the family's home just four hours after the burglary.
Two 17-year-olds were then charged with one count each of murder and attempted murder.
And two more boys, 17 and 16, were assisting cops in their investigation.
Detectives confirmed all four teenagers were "known to police".
Explaining how the horror unfolded, Lee said: "We heard our two dogs barking, Emma checked on our security app and saw the front door was open.
"We both rushed out of our bedroom door, Emma behind me, and saw two people in our house.
"I didn't even know there was an issue until my daughter spotted that her mum was bleeding."
The devastated dad paid a sweet tribute to his wife after her death, saying she "died trying to protect me and our family".
He told reporters: "Emma was the glue to my family, she was such a beautiful person.
"We are all just devastated by her loss, it's senseless."
The dad said at the time that he initially thought his wife was going to survive her injuries after the attack.
But he recalled the "major shock" hours later when he found out she had died.
He had to then deliver the heartbreaking news to his daughters after one of them asked: "Where's mummy?"
'Someone help my mum, help my mum'
Neighbour Jay Balhatchet, who witnessed paramedics helping Emma on the front lawn, said the neighbourhood woke to screams.
He said: “Just screaming really, of the two young girls. 'Someone help my mum, help my mum'."
“That’s pretty much when everyone got up, and that’s when they all saw it happen on the front lawn."
He later saw the couple’s children “carrying their dogs and stuff to the ambulance that their dad was in”.
The family's neighbour added: “They went off with him. I think they were in shock. They were in tears.”
Christina Lofthouse, 41, Emma's best friend of 33 years, also paid tribute, describing her as "the best friend a girl could have".
She said: "She was the first person I messaged in the morning and the last person I spoke to at night.
"I'm utterly heartbroken that my best friend is gone and I don't get to speak to her again, hug her again, laugh with her and cry with her.
"Her poor daughters, husband, mum, brother and sister. As a family we are heartbroken to lose the best friend a girl could have. We had a friendship like no other."
