Sentencing of Mackenzie Anderson’s killer raises more questions about a system that repeatedly fails women: Sylvia Jeffreys | Opinion

OPINION: At 21 years old, Mackenzie Anderson was just beginning to build her life. 

She had a young son to love and protect and a mother who held hopes for Mackenzie’s bright future.  

But instead of guiding her daughter through the many chapters of her life, Tabitha Acret is left grieving Mackenzie and fighting a system that’s placed an inadequate value on her life.

READ MORE: Murdered young mother’s family outraged over killer’s sentence

When Mackenzie was brutally murdered by her former partner, Tyrone Thompson, in Newcastle in 2022, Thompson had been on parole for two weeks. 

He’d breached an apprehended violence order eight times before he entered her home and stabbed her 78 times.

This is a man who had shown no regard for the orders that were placed on him, and no remorse for the torment he’d inflicted.  

Yet, Thompson was offered a discount on his sentence for murdering Mackenzie due to his troubled childhood, meaning he could be eligible for parole after 15 years in prison.

Fifteen years. That is the value of Mackenzie’s life, according to our justice system.

Through anger and disillusionment, Tabitha spoke to the Today Show yesterday morning with extraordinary composure, in the hope of bringing change and a review of Thompson’s sentence. 

READ MORE: Frightening thought shared by millions of women after Audrey’s death

“This case can now be referenced for other killers to get a reduced sentence, and that is not the legacy that I want my daughter to have at all.  The legacy I want for my daughter is that we changed laws, not that we let men escape.”

This comes just days after Audrey Griffin’s parents called out the same justice system that failed their daughter. 

Audrey’s killer, a known danger and repeat domestic violence offender, should have been behind bars.  

While the Director of Public Prosecutions reviews Thompson’s sentence, the New South Wales government, and indeed every government in this country, must consider reforming domestic violence sentencing as a matter of urgency.

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The pledges and promises of funding are welcome and necessary, but what good will any of it do if DV offenders aren’t afraid of punishment? 

Our leaders must consider what message we are sending as a society, if the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes against women are offered “a discount” on their sentence?  

As Tabitha points out, Thompson could be released before Mackenzie’s son is even 18.  No wonder she is left seeking justice.

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